


Curiouser and Curiouser

by valbino



Series: Curiouser-verse [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, Gen, slice of life--emphasis on slice, to be revised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-03
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-09 02:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 77
Words: 33,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valbino/pseuds/valbino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tasked with preventing the Uchiha Massacre, the Hokage does the only logical thing: arrange a marriage between the heirs of their two biggest clans. This is the aftermath. Non-Massacre AU, eventually ItaHina. Complete</p><p>*REVISION COMING SOON*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all and welcome to my fic! 
> 
> This was originally posted on FFN and is still archived/updated there as well as here, if it seemed familiar to anyone.
> 
> When I first started writing this in early 2011 I originally used some Japanese vocab for lack of a formal, natural-sounding alternative to "Father," and I wanted to subtly demonstrate Itachi's really distant/detached attitude towards his parents! I drop this pretty quickly since it's still kind of obtrusive.
> 
> Other things: there's some non-graphic mention of sex, this fic heavily deals with pregnancy, and there's also a bit of emotional abuse here and there depicted, so if any of that is a turn off for you, this might not be the story for you.
> 
> I initially was trying to write something more lighthearted because I was coming down from a (very badly written) dark!fic and needed a break. I also wanted to explore a non-massacre AU that didn't follow the typical elements of those stories exactly, and I wanted to see if I could write an arranged marriage romance that wasn't really creepy/unhealthy!
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it!
> 
> -Val

**Day 0  
**

000

Hinata gaped at the room before her.

They were in a ceremonial chamber within the Uchiha compound. The bed dominated the room, a downy mattress lifted on a foot-high platform; the sheets were white, with accents of red. Golden pillows littered the head, each with a red crane embroidered on the front.

Upon the wall behind it was an extremely old-looking silkscreen print. The calligraphy had faded with age, but the picture was more than likely of the founders of the Uchiha clan. Husband and wife. Their eyes at one time had been painted red, now faded to a dull brown. Maybe it had once been blood.

Hinata took all this in with hardly a glance at the solemn man behind her. It was simple, clean, presented beautifully, and ultimately where she would lose her long-cherished virginity (at least, long-cherished by her clan) to somebody that was almost a total stranger to her.

"Elegant, isn't it?" he murmured. Only newly weds and special caretakers were allowed within.

She jumped at Itachi's voice. For a man who had murdered (or at least tried to murder) his own cousin, it was soft. Almost pleasant. Always creepy.

"Personally, though, the cranes are a little...forward."

"Huh?" Hinata blushed. Cranes were beautiful, a symbol of luck, longevity, and peace. Unless... "W-why would you say that?"

"Okaa-san probably originally wanted the clan's symbol on every surface...the servants must have altered it," he muttered, almost to himself.

They made their way to the edge of the bed and sat, Hinata taking the end closest to the wall. She was struck by how Itachi kept his Sharingan activated almost constantly.

To tell the truth, Itachi was scary.

"I know neither one of us would like to go through with it, but...we will have to eventually."

She nodded. Itachi raised an eyebrow at her silence, and it was so terrifying that she almost fainted dead away.

"It's our duty," he went on, blissfully unaware of the terror he struck in her heart.

Then he moved to untie the obi keeping his yukata from opening, and Hinata—unsure if he belted it before tying the obi—squeaked something in dismay.

Now, scared-teen-girl-ese was very similar to annoying-little-boy-ese (the former was Hinata's second language, the latter Sasuke's), so Itachi had no trouble translating what she was attempting to say.

"I always put clothes on underneath," he said, and stood up to let the yukata fall. Underneath he wore loose shorts and one of his training shirts.

She squeaked out a reply. This one was a little harder to translate.

"You're paranoid, then."

A slightly indignant series of squeaks.

"If that was the case, you'd have married the Kyuubi jinchuuriki years ago and I would be a happy bachelor." He sighed wistfully, caught up in an introvert's dream.

She flopped onto the bed and turned away from him. This tactic bore an uncanny resemblance to something Sasuke did when he was little (like, three or four). Hinata was seventeen, almost eighteen, and this behavior was very age inappropriate.

"Would you rather get the worst part of it over now or later?" Yes, she must be taking lessons from the annoying brat. The situation was now uncomfortably like coaxing Sasuke to get his pre-international-mission vaccines (like, fourteen or fifteen).

A sniffle was his only reply. Definitely taking lessons from Sasuke.

"You're only making it harder on yourself, you know."

A hopeful glance in his direction.

"So let's treat this like a mission and, after, pretend that it never happened." _If we're lucky._

She squeaked with dismay and buried her face under her sleeve.

"We can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

A slightly muffled squeak this time, followed by a very loud sniffle.

"The easy way is you remain conscious and can tell me how not to hurt you. The hard way involves knocking you out with Sharingan." If one was looking closely, one might have seen a grimace. A very tiny one.

That got her attention. Her carefully coifed hair was falling down so Itachi finished the job by pulling out all those blasted hair ornaments that never seemed to want to detach. He realized he was also still sporting his own traditional hairstyle and yanked the pins out.

"A-are you sure, Itachi-san?" She was preoccupied with pulling an errant flower from the depths of her hair and the fact that Itachi didn't know how to remove a bobby pin and would make himself go bald before the day was out if he kept it up.

"It would be prudent to use less formal speech, all things considered."

"Sorry."

"And yes, I'm sure." His fingers were still combing through his hair, looking for stray bobby pins. If he ever had children (scratch that, _when_ he had children), he would _never_ force them into a traditional wedding. "You don't want to be knocked out with Sharingan, and I don't want to knock you out with Sharingan."

She squeaked a little.

Eventually he shoved all the hair decorations (enough to make a small fortune off if he was ever short on cash) off the bed. "Would you prefer being on top?"

Her terrified expression indicated a no. Probably.

"Chakra-assisted or natural breaking of your...unless you don't have one?" He did not enjoy having to ask these questions. Or the idea of being within a mile of this particular girl's...Ugh. He was hoping she didn't have one.

He was pretty sure that the "uhhhm" she just uttered was not a good sign.

"Any better ideas?"

A genius Itachi was, but not when it came to being social. He did have a point, though. She looked a little thoughtful despite the terror she was enveloped in. "Maybe...uh...d-deal with it as we g-go along?"

"That would be more efficient." Now it was Itachi's turn to look thoughtfully terrified. He hated going into things without a plan, hated having to improvise. "Foreplay?"

She had taken sex ed at the academy and remembered hearing that foreplay made it much easier. "O-okay."

Itachi set to work taking off her yukata. Thankfully she wore undergarments underneath. The foreplay was mechanical, doing its job to arouse the participants without being emotionally strenuous.

Now came the hard part.

"What are you doing?" Hinata squeaked. Well, it sounded enough like "what are you doing" to Itachi.

"Making it easier for the both of us." Itachi was currently in the middle of hoisting her legs over his shoulders and removing her underwear and his and didn't really have enough hands to do all of it at once. He frowned and said, a little flippantly, "It's my first time, too."

For some reason, this gave her hope that Itachi wasn't totally and utterly terrifying, but this hope was short lived when he finally, painfully, took her virginity (long cherished by the clan) in one fell...swoop.

A few maids, loitering near the door, heard Hinata's yelp. They giggled and leaned closer. Unfortunately, the sound they heard was definitely not one of unbridled passion, but one of pain.

The bump they heard afterward was not Itachi getting passionate, but Itachi hitting his head against the wall in an attempt to get more comfortable. The curse he threw out was _definitely_ not an expression of release, but more an expression of his irritation at having a long torso.

A few other noises followed, all of them bumps or squeals or curses. A couple of male caretakers showed up, too, and soon they were gossiping about the times they lost their collective virginity, and blithe to the utter misery within.


	2. Day 1

**Day 1**

000

Even only one day into their marriage, Itachi found it disturbingly easy to read Hinata. If her eyes widened when he looked at her, she found him utterly terrifying. If she swallowed nervously when he asked for a pair of chopsticks for his  _bento_ , she found him utterly terrifying. If she stammered that she was good with herbs when he asked, she found him utterly terrifying.

He was starting to sense a pattern.

Nevertheless, Itachi did not consider himself particularly intimidating. Quiet, reserved, a bit stoic, but not scary. He leaned on the doorway to the kitchen in their brand-spanking-new (but not really) house. Two bedrooms. Slightly less paper walls and slightly more wood and metal. Already furnished with tacky furniture.

His mother was going to visit this afternoon, he realized with a start. A glance at the clock told him that there was still an hour to make lunch. Hinata was probably in the kitchen, but he figured it had more to do with avoiding him than anything else.

Hinata glanced back jerkily at Itachi sliding the kitchen door open a little. Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed, tears dripping down her cheeks. She desperately tried to school herself into stoicism, but to no avail. Itachi frowned, and she flinched.

"Why do I scare you?" he asked. Sharingan was not activated.

Hinata decided to focus on Itachi's foot stepping into the kitchen.

"I know that neither one of us want to be in this situation, but avoiding me will not help."

Her breath hitched, and she fled from the room.

000

All Hinata could think about was how unattainable Naruto was, how he would never hold her in his strong arms, never know how much she admired him. She knew that Itachi would not be upset if she tried to be with Naruto...but it was too late; Naruto would not understand that the marriage was purely political, would tell her that cheating was unacceptable. So she hugged the pillow from her bed—they had agreed upon separate bedrooms—as tightly as she could and wept.

Itachi was terrifying. He was an ANBU captain (there were rumors that he would end up Hokage) and she had barely passed the chunin exams. For that much power to be given to him at the age of thirteen, when she herself was just entering the academy, was almost too much to take in. She saw demons when he activated the Sharingan, red and black. They would drag her down to—

She tittered at how ridiculous her nightmare was.

There was a rap at the door frame.

"Just tell me."

Itachi's voice filtered through the paper door, just loud enough for her to hear. She heard the noise of clothing being moved and the slide of skin on wood; he was sitting down. Maybe. Or getting out a weapon to kill her in the dark—No. Bad thoughts. She swallowed the lump in her throat down as far as it would go and took a deep breath.

"I…" She crawled up to the door. "I…thought that…you were…"

"I was what?" His voice was soft.

"A killer."

"It is part of my occupation—and yours."

The tears threatened to make a reappearance. "I heard—" She bit back a sob. "You murdered your cousin."

"What would give you that idea?" he murmured, not betraying the stab of ice that came into his chest.

"Father told me."

"What did he tell you?"

"Y-you, you drowned him."

"He committed suicide," he snapped, too quickly.

"I…Uh…Oh."

"Clean up. Okaa-san is arriving in a half hour."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on the chapters are short vignettes, just a heads up.


	3. Day 7

**Day 7**

000

They lived together, but barely spoke. Granted, neither of them expected to become fast friends with each other. It was a bit silly, though, with Hinata holing herself up in her room and refusing to come out except when Mikoto and Fugaku visited. Then Itachi's week away from ANBU vanished. When he went on his first mission since their … marriage … he slipped her the key to the private (abandoned, but he preferred to call it private) training ground only he and Sasuke visited, told her that if anyone tried to stop her to tell him when he got back.

Then he slipped an arm around her in a quick embrace to ward off potential rumors and was off.

Some neighbors saw her trembling lower lip and incorrectly assumed that she would miss him, that the brightness of her eyes and white-knuckled grip were the beginnings of tears of sorrow.

They were tears of joy, and the key was the crux of the elation that quivered through her.

She went down to the facility in secret, in the evening, draping a black cloak around her body, using everything she knew about stealth to conceal herself, closing and locking the gate when she entered.

It was foot-hardened dirt, a few wooden dummies for sword practice, several ranged targets, and two wooden posts, lit by a few torches with mirrors behind them. All were careworn, but not in disrepair. The silence was the worst part of it. Hinata thought that if she treaded too loudly, the neighbors would wake up and find her here.

She settled on a bare patch of dirt, going through stages of the gentle fist style, from the rudimentary jabs and counters to acrobatics, leaping around, dancing above the earth, tumbling low to the ground. Then the advanced techniques—thirty-two trigrams sixty-four palms being one of many. She swayed to an imaginary rhythm, fought imaginary foes.

When she felt worn out from the exercise, she slipped out of the gate, locked it again, and wound her way back to the—no, her—house.


	4. Day 10

**Day 10**

000

Itachi returned home at a late hour, sun below the horizon. The house was quiet. He tripped over an errant carpet, caught himself against the wall. The desire to sleep overwhelmed his curiosity regarding the training ground.

He managed to stumble to the couch before giving in to his tiredness.

One day, he would have to join the police. Just not today.

After all, duty calls.

0o0

Hinata tip-toed to the living room still clad in her sleepwear. Undergarments with a yukata thrown over it. She did not expect to see Itachi, wearing bloody and dinged up ANBU armor, on the couch.

She bit her lip before deciding to, at least, leave some tea and rice on the kitchen table for him.


	5. Day 12

**Day 12**

000

They weren't certain of the consequences of conceiving a child, only knew that one son was all it took. Just one child, and they would no longer have to engage in sex. That was what they told themselves.

Hinata stared up at the ceiling while Itachi showered. They had finally broached the subject of the when and where, and the why. She had taken a deep breath and asked if they would have to again. He had opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and eventually came to a decision.

"Perhaps…once every two or three weeks?" he had whispered, and glanced down at his feet.

She jumped and scrambled to cover her lack of clothing with the sheet of Itachi's bed. Not that it mattered. He pushed aside the covers, settled himself, and then seemed to sigh.

"Whatever my apology's worth…I'm sorry."

She whipped her head around to look at him. Really look at him, consider what they were about to do. He had been staring at the ceiling, too. "Wh-why are _you_ sorry?" she mumbled.

"I never…really wanted this. I argued. I lost my temper." The Sharingan was deactivated, at that moment. His brow furrowed. He was still intimidating.

Hinata suppressed a shiver, imagining Itachi actually losing his temper. "Father never really, um…gave me details. He ignored my opinion." _He always has._

"…The Uchiha Clan was doing some underhanded things. I was…supposed to put a stop to that."

"What…kinds…of things?"

"It's not important. The Hokage understood what the clan wanted. And offered to arrange a marriage between two great clans to help them gain what they want."

"How do you know all this?" Her voice was hushed, her modesty forgotten momentarily.

"I'm an ANBU captain. It's my…" He seemed to have difficulty finding the right turn of phrase. "It's my duty…" And he scoffed, softly, almost under his breath at the word. "to know things."

And when Hinata departed to her room, she could only recall two things:

The way Sharingan had flared to life, subconsciously, as he gave his side of the story, the sudden anger bubbling to the surface.

And that he had not looked at her after they finished.


	6. Day 15

**Day 15**

000

It seemed to Sakura that, of all the people at this event that should have been happy, Itachi and Hinata were the least happy. Certainly, they smiled faintly at the daimyo and other politicians during the greetings, clapped politely at the speeches, and bent toward each other to share the occasional private word at each course of the meal.

But underneath, she noticed that they did not touch each other unless unavoidable. The smiles were fake. The private conversation seemed forced. Sakura saw two unhappy people. Naruto, sitting to her left, and Kakashi, sitting to her right, had varying opinions. Sasuke was sitting with them having extricated himself as soon as he could from the crowd of Uchiha.

"But Sakura-chan, why would they get married if they didn't want to? That's stupid."

"Maybe it's political." Their sensei shrugged. "It's not really my concern."

"I think there's more to it than that. Look." Sasuke pointed. "He avoids her. She pretends he isn't there."

"I'm really supposed to believe that?" Naruto looked about to stand up from his seat. "Your vision's that great?"

"Naruto. I live in the same complex as them."

"Oh." He thought it over for a bit. "Does your brother ever…talk to ya?"

"Well, yeah. I mean."

"So he hasn't told you anything more than what you have observed," Kakshi interjected.

"No, but…" Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms. "Whatever."

"What about Hinata-chan?" Naruto finally said. "Did she say anything to you?"

"What about her teammates?" Sakura chimed in. "Have they asked you anything?"

"Hmm. I know Hinata has been using mine and Itachi's…personal training ground."

"So there could be something more than what we have seen here, then?"

"Maybe, Sakura. Plus, Hinata is rather shy. That could also be a factor." Kakashi shrugged.

"She hasn't been around her team lately, though!" Naruto frowned. "That's weird."

"She wasn't around her team much even before, did you notice that? She was always following you," Kakashi murmured.

"Eh?"

"Besides, it's not our concern." He shrugged and went back to reading his book.


	7. Day 17

**Day 17**

000

Sometimes, on the cold hard sleeping mat, Itachi stared at the fire before he slept. Soon it would be put out, as after this night they would no longer be within the border. They were going after Akatsuki—at least, those holing up in Amegakure. Tsunade had almost forbidden him from it; he had to step down and focus on becoming the clan's head one day, the Akatsuki could kill him. But he refused to stay behind. Akatsuki needed to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

The future was more important than any one person or any one clan.

And he had told himself that when Danzo gave him the order. When he walked on the rooftop in the bath of the full moon. When he stared through the window at a child, asleep in bed. When he could not kill that child.

During that moment in purgatory, that child represented the future, the hope of the clan and world.

The news of his betrothal to Hinata Hyuga was given to him in the bushes by the house after he claimed somnambulance. The lecture Danzo gave him was in an opulently decorated office and he could not claim to be asleep.

When Itachi awoke at dawn, the embers of the fire had long since died out.


	8. Day 18

**Day 18**

000

Hinata was practicing a complicated kata in the training ground when Sasuke arrived. He made no secret of it, but waited until the maneuver was finished before speaking.

"Hinata."

She gasped and wrung her hands together. "Wha—hello!"

"Hey." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

He looked at a group of targets. Itachi had not _explicitly_ allowed him to use the area for years (though he figured being in ANBU made Itachi busy and used it anyway). That Hinata had been instantly invited did not sit well. To her credit, though, she looked mortified.

"W-would you like to train? I can go if you want…"

"It's alright." He shrugged. "I don't mind sharing."

Hinata continued her hand-to-hand exercises while Sasuke began throwing kunai and shuriken at the targets. Then he moved on to ninjutsu, blasting fire at specially marked areas. After awhile, she paused in her practice.

"Would you..." She thought her words over again. "Sasuke-san? Would you like to spar? We—we could probably train better that way."

He narrowed his eyes, for a moment uncannily resembling his brother. Then he shrugged again (she had the feeling it was a running theme). "Sure."

It was odd watching the Sharingan activate, and the resemblance was much stronger for it. His only had two tomoe.

They circled, each measuring the other. Sasuke was tense and furtive, glancing to the side. Hinata was also tensing up, readying for potential attacks. Neither wanted to make the first movement. A shift in footing, and they flew at each other, Hinata angling for vital areas to disable, Sasuke trying to find footing enough to toss something at a range.

It ended with a draw. Sasuke stuck his hands back into his pockets and shuffled out, trying to figure out why Hinata was not on any missions. It wasn't fair. It must be partially Fugaku's doing, then. Or the Hyuga head's. Nobody would just _choose_ to abstain from missions.

Right?


	9. Day 24

**Day 24**

000

Hinata awoke to a loud thump from the bottom floor. A glance at the clock told her it was two in the morning. She activated Byakugan to detect who it was; it was Itachi. His chakra signature was extremely faint. She scrambled out of bed, feeling adrenaline take hold. This was not good. A small, cynical voice in the back of her head said that if Itachi ended up dying, then Sasuke was likely to take his place (which would be kind of awkward).

Any good wife would convince her husband to stop putting himself in danger.

Hinata was not a very good wife, she thought, rushing down the stairs in her bare feet.

The first order of business was to check his pulse. Two fingers against the neck showed that it had no sign of weakening, though it was a bit fast. She breathed a sigh of relief and moved to remove his mask to ease his breathing; she was not expecting him to be conscious enough to grasp her wrist, although it may have just been a reflex.

With mask off, on his back, armor loosened, then and only then did Hinata allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She wondered if she would be able to at least move him to the sofa so he would not come to with a sore back. He was a full eight inches taller than her at least and weighed quite a bit more, too. Perhaps not. Maybe a pillow to support his neck. Yes. That had to do.

000

Itachi awoke to find a tired looking Hinata sipping coffee with her Byakugan activated. She knelt on the floor, a cushion under her knees, eyes seeing but not seeing. His back was a bit stiff. His armor and mask were placed neatly on the floor in front of her.

She noticed.

"Oh! Y-you're…"

He sat up slowly, head pounding; he uttered only one word: "Food."

"I—alright. S-stay there, um, please!"

After finishing off a bowl of broth from the kitchen, he laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. Sharingan was deactivated. "Why did you do this?"

"Y-you passed out on the floor. It woke me up."

He raised one eyebrow.

"Erm. I came down the stairs and y-your chakra was almost gone."

"Ah."

"You…you could have died."

"Shinobi die. It's unavoidable."

He got up as quickly as he was able and bent to retrieve his gear, then trudged up the stairs. The last she heard from him that day was the sound of his bedroom door shutting.


	10. Day 35

**Day 35**

000

Tsunade folded her hands together, clicking her red fingernails against each other. She glanced between Itachi and Hinata periodically. A folder was open on top of her desk, among the piles of paperwork (as per usual). She sighed.

"Itachi Uchiha, I am discharging you from ANBU."

The only indication he gave of his surprise was one sharp, deep breath. His hand twitched against his thigh.

"I don't make decisions like this lightly. You are barred from doing any missions that venture outside of the Leaf Village, despite your knack for getting out alive. Sasuke has recently become a jonin; perhaps he will take your place in the squad."

Itachi's response was one word.

"Why?"

"Three reasons: one, you are the heir apparent; two, Hinata mentioned to your mother that you were experiencing an alarming frequency of chakra loss; three, your father requested it. Any other questions?"

Itachi's gaze shifted to Hinata. She blushed, swallowed, and stammered an apology (several, actually, but Itachi grouped them together).

"I—I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry. I...I d-didn't know she would s-say anything! Please."

"Don't apologize. We're leaving." 

Hinata wrung her hands as she stood. The pale orange of her kimono washed her out. She bowed.

"Th...thank you. Hokage-sama."

As they walked back to the Uchiha Compound, Itachi's frustration became obvious. His walk was brisk and rigid. He stared at his feet. Hinata glanced at her own balled up fist and tried to relax it. Finally, he spoke. The sidewalk was empty.

"What, exactly, did you say to my mother?"

"I...um. She, she wanted to know how we...well, how you were doing. S-so I said you were t-tired a lot. That you work really, really hard."

"I see." He hesitated a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I guess she came to her own conclusions."

"It's not your fault, Hinata," he murmured when he noticed the tears in her eyes. His eyes glanced at a stray cat darting across the street. "Don't blame yourself."

She shied away from his touch. "No. I. I should have said-"

"Don't lie for my sake." He sighed. "Perhaps this isn't all bad. I've been meaning to spend more time with my brother for awhile now."

It had been eight years since they last trained together.

A thought.

"Why haven't you gone on any missions? You train, but do not use your training in the field."

"Father won't. Won't let me."

"Aren't you a chunin, though? Surely there must be something you want to do besides stay on the compound all day."

They started walking again. Hinata thought for a bit, weighing how seriously she would be taken.

"Maybe...well, I l-like." She took a deep breath and started over. Itachi's sharp eyes were turned upon her. "Can I teach at the Academy?" she asked, in the tiniest voice.

"I don't see why not. You should go there in a few days."

She hid a smile behind her hand.


	11. Day 40

**Day 40**

000

Itachi paced around the front room. His mother was seated on the sofa, sipping at unsweetened tea. He had invited her over for lunch while Hinata was meeting with the heads of the Academy.

"I hope there's a reason you brought me here." Mikoto smiled. "Besides lunch, of course. But we've already eaten."

"Why was I discharged from ANBU?" He stopped and looked down at her.

"Temper, temper. You don't want to act like Sasuke, do you?" She chuckled.

He frowned a little. "Answer the question, please."

"Oh, _fine_. Sit down, dear." She patted the empty half of the sofa.

Itachi remained standing. His arms were crossed. Mikoto gulped.

"I...see. Well, Hinata-chan, what a dear...she mentioned you came home tired, and...well. I wasn't expecting your father to go for the full discharge..." She shrugged.

He raised one eyebrow.

"Anyway, lunch was just darling!" she said, expression brightening. She stood, walked over, and kissed him on the cheek. "We just want you to stay safe, alright? Goodbye, dear!"

Itachi was still standing several minutes after the front door was closed.

000

Hinata walked out of the Academy with a spring in her step.

She was going to teach the youngest of the students.

Just the basics, but..

She had something to do every day. She had a job.

She saw Sasuke leaning against a wall passing by Ichiraku's ramen stand. He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow when she waved, then resumed talking to Naruto. She tried to ignore the pain that reignited somewhere in her chest.

Itachi was sitting on the couch when she got home (when had she started thinking of it as that?). Nothing unusal in of itself, but he was staring into space. His eyes, free of Sharingan for the moment, flicked in her direction.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Uh. It. I." She bit her lip. "I got...I've. I get to teach the-the little ones."

The corner of his mouth turned up briefly. "That's...good."

She smiled, just a little. She shoved the image of Naruto to the back of her mind."How was...how was lunch?"

"She...tried to deflect blame," he finally settled on. "But...she was the one who suggested it. She said as much."

"What are you going to do?"

"Train. Try to get my position back."

"Wh-what about Sasuke?" (Sasuke _hated_ honorifics. Itachi seemed to have a distaste for being called Itachi- _san_. So she tried to respect their wishes.)

He sighed. "He...said no."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I've got a lot of time on my hands. I'll ask again."

At a loss for what to say, Hinata nodded once and went up the stairs to her room. She changed into a deep blue yukata, then went down to the kitchen to make a fast lunch. Itachi was reading when she brought her food to the table. Their conversation seemed incomplete.

"F-for what it's worth, I think Sasuke...I think he'll say yes eventually," she finally said.

Itachi kept reading.


	12. Day 42

**Day 42**

000

Sasuke paced around the front room. His mother was talking, but he could never quite bring himself to pay attention, anyway.

It was always the same, he found.

Itachi this.

Itachi _that._

It didn't _matter_ to her that he was the first on his team to make it to jonin, that there were talks of him being inducted into ANBU, maybe the police force. Itachi was an ANBU captain at thirteen, she said. Itachi graduated the Academy at _seven._.

When Sasuke asked, once, _why didn't you put me in the academy at the age of six like him_ , he got a shrug. He got a "do you really want to turn out like him, married to someone unsavory for the sake of politics?" speech. His questions were always deflected.

There was always a thought, in the back of his mind, trying to reason out why she specified the married part (and not the possibility of dying in battle). Was it so terrible, compared to what he gained by it? The next leader of the clan, children that could make an even more powerful bloodline together, guaranteed to be loved by the village for uniting the two big-name clans into one. Power. Wealth. Honor.

(Hinata was probably the least unsavory person possible for the job, anyway.)

But instead, Mother always managed to try to make it seem like Sasuke was the superior one. And at some point he saw through that lie. Itachi always wound up on the top of the food chain in Mother's mind, twisted as the way was to the top.

"If I'm so superior," he growled, "then why aren't I the heir already?"

But she always heard him when he asked, no matter how quietly he spoke.

And her answer was always:

"Because you're not."


	13. Day 49

**Day 49**

000

The lunch with Hanabi had evolved into a trip to the market, much to Hinata's delight. Hanabi had suggested they take a walk, and now they were weighing and buying ingredients to make sweets later. Hanabi's idea, too.

"Hey, Hinata-neesan. They have bananas."

"How many do you want to get?" Hinata sidled over to the fruit stand, balancing a basket against her hip.

"Iunno." She crossed her arms. "I'll definitely want one for the walk home."

"Let's get three. I have a dessert idea."

"Okay. Want me to carry that basket?"

"N-no. It's fine."

"If you say so. I'll carry anything else we buy." She pointedly grabbed one of the plastic mesh crates the market provided and put the bananas in there.

"Thank you." Hinata smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"No prob."

They meandered around, stopping to pick out anything that caught their fancy. Hanabi eventually wandered off on her own. She said she had seen fresh milk somewhere.

Hinata found a bench to sit on, under a tree just beginning to turn red for the fall. As if on cue, Itachi's mother sat next to her. She carried no basket.

"Lovely day, isn't it, Hinata-chan?"

"Y-yeah."

Mikoto gestured to some children chasing each other around a tired-looking woman. "What do you think of those brats?"

"Um."

"I think it's disrespectful of them, to be honest."

"Ch-ch-children play." Hinata gripped the handle of her basket very tightly. "It's...it's normal."

"My children were very well-behaved. Do you think yours will be?"

"I'd...hope so."

"It'd be nice, to be surrounded by lovely grandsons." She smiled at Hinata. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Hinata smiled back. "That...does sound nice, Mikoto-san. B-but...what about...grand-d-daughters?"

"Oh, of _course_. Lovely grandchildren." She looked up at the sky for a moment. "I...oh, if you don't mind me asking."

"What?"

Mikoto leaned in closer to Hinata. "Are you...hm...expecting yet? It's been nearly two months."

"I—I'm not sure." She bit her lip. Her face felt like it was on fire.

"I _do_ hope you've been trying."

"Uh. I. Uh."

"It's alright, nobody else outside of you and me needs to know." Mikoto patted her shoulder.

Hinata could only nod when Mikoto repeated her sentiment about _trying_.

She stood up. "I—I have to f-find my sister. It...it was nice talking."

"Indeed, Hinata-chan. Good day."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow upon Hinata's approach. "That was a quick rest."

"Yeah, I know."

"What happened?"

"I—met someone."

"Naruto-san?"

"N-no!" Hinata swatted Hanabi on the shoulder.

"Who, then?" Hanabi was starting to smirk. Just a little.

"M-my mother in-law." She blushed again.

"Ah. It was awkward, I take it?"

"Y-you could say that." She looked at the ground, hair covering her face.

Hanabi raised an eyebrow. "Ready to check out? I didn't find the milk."

"Y-yes. Let's go."


	14. Day 50

**Day 50**

000

Hinata finally worked up the nerve to mention yesterday's encounter with Mikoto during supper.

Itachi swallowed. Hard. He put his choptsticks down.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I. I. I was so. She came out of _n_ - _nowhere._ "

"What did she say?"

Hinata blushed. She was staring at a very _interesting_ piece of fish on her plate. He swallowed again, dryly.

" can tell me."

She started twiddling her forefingers around. "It. She." She gulped down a deep breath, and whispered, "Mikoto-san asked if, well, we were...trying to...get _._ Um."

"I get the idea." Itachi wasn't hungry anymore. A layer of ice was crawling up his throat.

Hinata pushed a carrot slice around with her chopsticks. Today was Naruto's birthday, she realized, looking at it.

Today was Naruto's birthday.

Her hand blurred, and all she could see was that stupid orange jacket caught between her chopsticks.

"E-excuse me."

She went to Itachi's room, the master bedroom. It was closer. The door had a lock. She wanted to be left alone.

She never did get up the courage to wish Naruto happy birthday. She could barely look at him without feeling small and shy. Hot tears ran down her cheeks.

Itachi's footsteps approached.

A gentle rap on the door frame.

The knock was a little more insistent after a few minutes.

"I know my door has a lock. I'm not going to hurt you."

Finally, she wiped away the last of her tears with the corner of her sleeve and unlocked the door.

"Did my mother say _anything_ else?"

"N-no. It's...not that. Um. I know. It. We. Already." She swallowed a bubble of hysterical laughter. "You know. But..."

"It's not..." He glanced at the clock.

"I'm going to do the dishes," she said, and went downstairs.

She passed by his room on the way to hers, and stopped for a moment. "We both have to." She tried to smile. "It won't matter that much."

He was sitting on his bed. "Very well."

It was slow, awkward at first. Always. At some point, instinct took over.

Itachi bit into the pillow and breathed into Hinata's neck. Her nails scraped his back and she flailed around beneath him.

He hit his head on the wall. _Again._

Later, he swore up and down that something fell into the bushes by the house. It also cursed very loudly on the way down.

He found nothing in the morning save for a few misplaced twigs.


	15. Day 51

**Day 51**

000

When Naruto opened his door at five o'clock in the morning, the last person he expected to see was Sasuke.

Especially a Sasuke with twigs in his hair and rips in his shirt. He was shaking.

"Let me in."

"Eh?"

" _NARUTO._ " Sasuke grabbed him by the shoulders. "Let. Me. In."

"Okay, _okay._ "

Sasuke glanced around furtively. His face was at its most expressive. He looked worried. Or in extreme pain.

"I just watched. I saw."

"You saw what?" Naruto kept his voice low. If it was distressing him this much, it _had_ to be important.

"I just watched Itachi and Hinata have _sex._ " Naruto thought he heard a sob underneath the word sex. "Before you get any ideas, my mom made me _spy on them._ "

Both were silent.

Then Naruto started laughing.

"It's not _funny_ , Naruto!"

A few leaves fell from Sasuke's hair. He stopped gesturing madly long enough to watch them land, gently, on Naruto's musty carpet.

Naruto started laughing, even harder this time.

"Oh—oh my _GOD_ , Sasuke." He doubled over. "Your mom's messed _up_."

"I will never be clean again," Sasuke said to the leaves.


	16. Day 60

**Day 60**

000

Hinata approached Itachi while he was training. He barely paused when the gate squeaked shut. He didn't bother speaking until he finished spraying fire on a blackened patch of dirt.

"Hinata. What...brings you here?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh," she squeaked.

"What's in your hand?" He deactivated Sharingan. Now he was standing a few feet away.

She looked down at the bit of white plastic in her shaking hand and wordlessly held her hand out to him. He glanced at it, wrenched it from her grasp. He squinted at it, then paled.

His voice was barely audible. "Are you sure?"

She could only nod.

"Could it be a false positive?"

She shrugged.

Neither one of them wanted to say it.

"Maybe..."

"What do I tell Father?"

"We shouldn't say anything. Until..."

"I...checked with Byakugan. After." Her voice broke. "It's...I'm."

The pregnancy test slipped from Itachi's hand.

Itachi felt like throwing up.

Hinata's voice trailed off.

A bubble of hysterical laughter threatened to escape.

She closed her eyes against the tears.

They said it almost at the same time.

"I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant."


	17. Day 67

**Day 67**

000

Hinata shuffled through the papers in the folder a final time before closing it. She sighed. The medical documents contained within...All her idea, in case her father or Itachi's father wanted "proof of conception." She doubted that it would come to that.

Itachi was standing near the front door, arms crossed. He looked...uncomfortable. Hinata couldn't blame him. It was an uncomfortable situation.

She nodded at him. It was time to go.

Hiashi Hyuga's office was to be the first stop. He was unlikely to be busy with someone at this time of day. Somehow, that thought did not bolster her confidence. They had debated over who made the announcement.

(Well, argued, because neither wanted to be put in the spotlight.)

Eventually it was decided that each would announce it to their biological parent.

000

Hiashi's office door was closed. Hinata rapped it lightly with her knuckles. After a few seconds, the dark blue mass creaked open.

"You may enter."

Hiashi was sitting in his desk again by the time they cleared the doorjamb. He began writing again. His pen moved at an almost leisurely pace. Hinata gulped.

"Sit down."

They sat.

"What brings you here?"

Hinata took a deep breath. "Father...I am expecting."

He glanced up sharply. "Then have my congratulations."

Itachi released a breath that he wasn't quite aware of holding.

"I'm busy at the moment. You will receive a package in the mail. I ask that you remove yourselves from my office."

Hinata dipped her head in a bow. "Yes, Father. Thank-you. Goodbye."

Itachi bowed as well. He closed the door behind him.

Hinata handed the folder to him and held her face in her hands.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, and lifted her head. "Just...nervous."

"Yeah."

000

Fugaku was alone in his den, reading through some official-looking papers and occasionally marking something in pen. Hinata saw Itachi visibly relax.

"Hello, Itachi. Hinata. Just finishing up some reports."

Itachi was silent for an uncomfortable while.

"Well, what is it? Something important, I suppose, judging from how you're dressed. Did anybody die?"

"Hinata's expecting."

"Oh." Fugaku's expression warmed considerably. "I'll tell your mother. Congratulations!"

Itachi got a pat on the shoulder for his trouble.


	18. Day 70

**Day 70**

000

"But I don't _want_ a new teammate!"

Shino sighed for the fiftieth time that day.

Kurenai's eye twitched.

Akamaru whimpered.

Tsunade wanted them to meet in her office immediately after filing their mission report. She had a new teammate for them, able to fill in while Hinata was on leave. Also a Hyuga, also good at tracking.

Kiba was aiming his foot at a potted plant when they were finally summoned inside.

"Team Kurenai. I have a new addition to your team ready for deployment." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Akamaru's presence. "Meet Makikae Hyuga."

The girl behind her _looked_ an awful lot like Hinata. She even wore a jacket. And hitai-ate around her neck.

"What's up? Call me Maki."

Kiba did a double take.

"You guys seem pretty cool."

Shino coughed.

"And _is that a dog_?"

Akamaru's tail began wagging.

"How are you, boy?"

Kurenai massaged her temples.

Akamaru seemed to take great pleasure in Kiba's glowering.

"Who's a good dog?"

Tsunade finally spoke up. "Well, it seems like you won't be having much trouble. Kurenai, you'll get a mission scroll shortly. Dismissed!"

000

Kiba and Shino watched Maki and Akamaru chase each other around the training ground.

"So what do you think, Shino?"

"She is capable."

"But...don't you miss Hinata-chan?"

Shino was silent.

"Yeah, me, too. Hope the Uchiha's treating her okay."

"He seemed polite enough."

Kiba whirled around and kicked the training post. He got a sore foot.

"Your form needs work."

"Yeah, thanks, captain obvious." Kiba watched the clouds pass by for a bit before speaking. "I can't believe she's already got a kid on the way."

"It's no different in other clans."

"Maybe we should...drop by the Uchiha Compound later. See how she's doing? She'd do the same for one of us."

Shino refrained from pointing out that Kiba was no more capable of pregnancy than Akamaru. "Let's finish Maki's assessment."

"When we visit her, you're coming with me. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"Deal. Now, the assessment."

"Right, Kurenai-sensei will be pissed if we don't get it done today."

As if on cue, a shadow appeared behind Kiba.

"Damn right I'll be. Get working."


	19. Day 80

**Day 80**

000

Itachi had barely taken the first bite of his lunch when he heard, from upstairs, the sound of footsteps and a slamming door. The slamming door was followed a minute later by a loud retching sound.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the cause.

Itachi stared mournfully at the _onigiri_ and cabbage on his plate.

"S-sorry," Hinata mumbled later while she dug around the fridge. "I'm so sorry. It's...not your fault!"

"Just tell me what food to avoid." Itachi was scrubbing his plate and had set some incense to burn.

If Hinata didn't know better, she would have sworn there was a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"...It was the c-cabbage."

"Onigiri is fine?"

"Mhm." A pause. "Do we have any grapefruit?"

"I don't think so."

"Hmm."

Itachi was leaning against the counter, now, arms crossed. Sometimes the silence wasn't so bad. This was not one of those times. He watched her dart around the kitchen, crafting a lunch decidedly lacking in sweets.

"Are you alright?"

"What?" she squeaked.

"You don't like grapefruit."

Her shoulders drooped. She blushed. "I...just wanted. Something. Um."

"Don't worry about it."

"The doctor—well, she said this was normal."

"Mm."

She twiddled her index fingers.

(Itachi wasn't sure he would ever be parent material. Or _good_  parent material.)

"I guess...heh. I-I wasn't expecting this to happen so _soon_."

"Yeah."

(Hinata disallowed herself from thinking about becoming a mother too deeply. When she did, she found herself wondering if she would act like her father.)

"If—if you're wondering, the...it's fine, so far."

"That's...good. I'll be sure to pass that along to _Okaa-san._ " He added, to himself, "Perhaps that will keep her from..."

"From what?"

"I'd rather she didn't speak to us at all."

"She seemed nice enough, though."

Itachi sighed. Before he could say anything to clarify, Hinata piped up again.

"Are you _sure_ we don't have any grapefruit?"


	20. Day 90

**Day 90**

000

Itachi's daily walk around Konoha was something he had started to clear his head after being (kicked out of) ANBU. Every so often, a gaggle of preteen genin would trail him and probe him with questions. Sometimes he got a pink, frilly card with hearts on it.

Today, though, his route was blessedly free of intruders. And cards.

As he passed by the Academy, he paused. The day was warm for so late in the year, so a group of new attendees—aged six, if he recalled correctly—were doing stretches in the yard. Hinata was teaching. She paced around the group, gently adjusting a sloppy stance or murmuring a word of encouragement.

Then she spoke, and demonstrated the next stretch. Itachi recognized it, then, as the movements of a basic taijutsu attack, slowed down into something not unlike yoga. Gradually the movements would be sped up into something useful.

Itachi walked a few steps closer, keeping himself hidden behind a tree. He was curious. His own lessons had been different from Academy training.

One girl raised a hand, and Hinata knelt, back turned to him, to hear her question.

He took the opportunity to enter the schoolyard, hands in pockets. There were a few gasps at his activated Sharingan, more than one hand pointing. He saw the spike in chakra that indicated that Hinata had activated Byakugan. It deactivated just as quickly. She whirled around to greet him.

"I—uh. Um. U-Uchiha-san!" She cringed at her own formality. "Hello."

All fifteen children picked that exact moment to crowd him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Itachi-sama!"

"Tell us about your adventures!"

"My mom wants your auto—auto-graff!"

"Do you have any stories?"

"Yeah, we wanna hear a story!"

"Children, if you could please...uh." Hinata bit her lip, unsure what to do.

"It's fine, Hinata." Though Itachi's expression hadn't really changed at all.

A gasp. "YOU know _Hinata-sensei_?"

"They're not...bothering you, are they?" Hinata asked.

"Not at all." He sat down. "Of course I know your sensei. She is my wife."

A few more gasps. One spoke, though he couldn't tell who. "How did you and someone as _cool_ as Hinata-sensei get married?"

"I don't think that's a good story to tell," he said, eventually.

"Aw man!"

"That's _lame_."

Hinata's face was turning an interesting shade of red. Her fingers were dangerously close to twiddling. "R-really, children. It's a bit rude to...pile on Itachi-san like that, don't you think?"

"Hinata. It's alright." A small, shaky smile crept onto his face.

Despite that, though, the kids did move a few feet away, sitting in orderly rows.

"Tell us about one of your adventures!"

"Yeah! I bet you killed a _bunch_ of bad guys!"

"Alright. I'll … tell you about an adventure." Something changed in his demeanor. "I was going after some very bad guys who wanted to do something particularly bad: take over the world."

He paused, partially to tell his story without revealing any classified intelligence.

"They were hiding in a city where it rained all the time. It was creepy and the buildings made noises."

"Wow! What happened next?"

"Sounds scary, Itachi-sama."

Hinata dropped to sit behind them, just as curious.

And so he articulated the tale of how he and his squad defeated the leaders of the Akatsuki organization (though he didn't call it that in his narrative), making sure to emphasize how scary they were, how their desire for peace had been corrupted.

When he was finished, there was silence. Then:

"Wowee! That's so cool!"

"Almost as cool as Hinata-sensei!"

"I wanna hear another!"

"Yeah!"

"Um. Children, it's time for lunch!" Hinata said, standing. "I think we've bothered Itachi-san long enough."

He deactivated Sharingan, but remained sitting. His hands were folded in his lap. "Speaking of lunch, care to join me?"

"I...should take care of my students."

Itachi wasn't sure what he wanted, but he knew how to get it: by sitting on the cold ground with a raised eyebrow.

"R-really."

She sighed.

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Like I said. Lunch."

"Um...I think there's enough in my bento for...two." The finger twiddling was beginning. Victory was close.

The ground was wet, too, he realized.

"A-are...you feeling okay? Maybe...maybe you should come inside."

The last of the kids were filing inside already.

"That is acceptable." He stood, and was relieved when he found that the ground wasn't as wet as he thought. "I was serious about lunch."

And so it was that Shikamaru was stuck looking after fifteen suddenly badly-behaved children.


	21. Day 92

**Day 92**

000

Hinata had prepared supper that night, and the food was set out on the table. Someone knocked on the door. Itachi opened it hesitantly after checking through the peephole.

Mikoto Uchiha stepped inside.

"Hello there. I hope I haven't interrupted anything." She smiled.

Itachi went rigid.

"Your supper smells lovely, by the way. I'd almost be tempted to join you, but that would be very rude of me."

"M-mikoto-san...how are you?" Hinata said. "Sit down. Please."

"I'm doing quite alright. Itachi, my dear, would you and your wife care to sit with me? I won't allow your supper to get cold, I promise." She sat on the sofa and patted the empty space next to her.

"Certainly, Okaa-san." Itachi sat next to her. "What is it you wish to discuss?"

"I just wanted to see how you two were doing, that's all." She pressed a hand between Itachi's shoulder blades, a relic from childhood. Her thumb worked at a knot of muscle. "So how _are_ you doing?"

"Fine."

Hinata sat quietly next to Itachi. She never knew quite what to make of his mother. Mikoto was always kind and polite whenever they spoke, though something about her set Itachi's teeth on edge.

"How's the baby?"

His brow furrowed a little. "Fine."

"Please, Itachi, I'd like to hear it from Hinata-chan's lips."

"It's...fine." Hinata smiled. "No problems."

"Very good!"

Itachi wanted Mikoto to leave, but was unsure how to achieve that without insulting her somehow.

"So, Hinata-chan, are you experiencing any adverse symptoms?"

"Um, a bit of morning sickness...b-but—"

"Oh, poor thing. It'll pass." Mikoto reached over and patted Hinata's shoulder. "Itachi, have you thought about where this child will sleep when he's born?"

"There are two spare rooms upstairs. I don't see any point in rushing." Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose it would be wiser to wait until you find out the sex. Wouldn't want to decorate for a girl only to have a boy." Mikoto laughed a little to herself.

She stood. "Like I said, I simply wanted to check up on you!" She kissed Itachi on the cheek. "Have a nice supper."

Itachi slumped forward with a relieved sigh as the door closed behind her.


	22. Day 95

**Day 95**

000

Sasuke finally decided that whenever his mother wanted him to spy on Itachi, he would just knock on the door and _ask_.

Sometimes their door was open straight away, others he had to wait upwards of five minutes to be let in. And then after that, Hinata or Itachi would rush off to the kitchen to prepare tea. Which was another ten minutes at _least_.

Today was a _fifteen_ minute day, judging from the smell of incense wafting around.

So he decided to poke around their things in the front room. The end tables on either side of the sofa was as good a start as any.

The one closest to him held a black leather-bound book of...pressed...flowers. He wrinkled his nose and suppressed a sneeze. Must be Hinata's. Beneath it was a pair of knitting needles. And there were bits of dry petals everywhere. _Gross._

The end table drawer opposite of that was slightly more promising. There was a rubberbanded stack of card-weight paper. All blanks. No bottles of ink or calligraphy pens. Okay, maybe not so promising. And _another_ pair of knitting needles, this time attached to a tangle of yarn that may have been a project at some point.

He pushed the drawer shut and saw an elaborately painted jewelry box on top. Inside the jewelry box was a bunch of rhinestones. He hoped it was Hinata's. It had to be Hinata's, right?

The smell of incense was stronger than ever.

He was considering killing the culprit of the smell. _Grandmothers_ burned incense, not twenty-two year old men. He grunted a curse and flopped down on the sofa.

Itachi placed the tea tray on the table and sat down next to him, finally.

"How are you, Sasuke?"

A glare. "Fine."

"Would you like some tea?"

Sasuke swiped a cup from the tray and began glaring at it. "So what's up?"

"Okaa-san wanted you to find something out," Itachi said.

"Pretty much." He took a sip and made a face. Even the tea was an old woman's brew.

"Why?"

"I dunno. Anyway, she wanted to know..." God, this was awkward. "...What the sex was. Of the fetus. Baby. Whatever."

"It's too early to know for sure," Itachi said. "It'll be another couple of weeks at the very least."

If Sasuke didn't know better, Itachi was actually uncomfortable. "Can't Byakugan tell?"

"Doubtful."

"Well, shit. What do I tell Mom?"

"That we don't know. I would be happy to tell her as soon as we find out, however."

"Where is Hinata, anyway?" Sometimes she was the one to greet him, but more often it was Itachi. He thought it was going to be the other way around.

"The Academy."

"Ah."

Sasuke took another sip of the old lady tea. "Where did you _get_ this shit? This is the kind of stuff our _grandma_ makes."

"Grandmother has fine taste in tea."

"Don't tell me you're the one knitting things, too."

"You...looked in the end tables?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Erm. No."

"Don't worry about it." He stood. "Want to take a walk with me? I have to meet someone for lunch."

Itachi was always like that, pretending to _make nice_ after years of ignoring. Sasuke threw his tea cup at the table and slammed the door behind him as he left.

As he sopped up the spilled tea, Itachi was glad to see that the ceramic cup hadn't shattered.


	23. Day 100

**Day 100**

000

A noise behind Hinata caused her to activate Byakugan and pause in unpacking the box her father sent her. It was Itachi. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, shifting from side to side. She let the chakra recede from her eyes.

"You can come in if...if you want," she said

He halted at the doorway. She turned, wiping at her eyes. _Oh_. He had never been in her room before. A bolt of white cloth was moved aside and she patted the empty space.

After a brief hesitation, he sat down.

"S-sorry...I..." She sniffed.

"Don't worry about it." His gaze was fixed on a ceramic pot. There was a crack at the lip.

"Do you...want to know more? About this?" She carefully picked it up.

"Alright."

"My...m-mother...she used to keep herbs in it." Tears were welling up in her eyes again. "Father kept it for awhile after—after she..." She took a deep, calming breath. "And n-now it's mine."

His eyes traveled around the room. She noticed some clothes that didn't quite make it to her hamper, a wall hanging that was crooked. Her face flushed. Then his posture relaxed a bit.

"So." He stopped to clear his throat. "So tell me more about what your father sent you."

"O-Okay."

She pulled a packet of chrysanthemum seeds out of the box. "I like...pressing flowers. There're lots of seeds in here!" She rattled the box for emphasis.

"Yeah."

There was a brief, shared smile. A garden was a nice possibility.

Hinata reached behind Itachi and pulled the fabric he saw earlier into her lap. "This will be...become a blanket f-for...you know."

"Is there anything else?"

In her scrabble for the last item, on the far corner of the bed, she tossed the soon-to-be-blanket onto Itachi's lap by accident. It was soft and thick. He folded it and draped it over one thigh with a thoughtful expression.

"And this...is a journal. Father even—he left _me_ a note. C-can you believe it?" she whispered, reading it over again. A softer smile than before spread across her face.

Itachi was silent.

"Do you...do you want to read it?" she asked, holding it out in offering. Her cheeks were pink.

His expression was unreadable. "...Alright."

A piece of paper, previously tucked into the journal, was pushed into his hands.

_Hinata—_

_I believe the items in this box will convey what words would not._

— _Father_


	24. Day 104

**Day 104**

000

December always seemed to bring out the worst in the weather. It was cold and raining, and Hinata's umbrella was not holding up very well against the wind.

Team 7 and Team 8 were going on a joint mission together, partially to test out the latter's new addition, but primarily to gather intelligence. Kiba's letter had mentioned that it was an A-ranked mission. The details were highly classified.

She was caught up in a bone-crushing hug from Kiba before she even realized she'd reached the gate. Her umbrella went flying out of her hand.

"Told you she'd come, Shino."

Shino shrugged, then handed her back her umbrella as soon as her feet touched the ground again.

"Thanks, Shino-kun."

"You're welcome."

"So you heard about Maki-san, right?" Kiba said, then leaned in to whisper: "You know, your replacement?"

"O-oh...yeah." She smiled. "It's alright. I'm not really in any condition to fight, anyway."

"How are you, Hinata?" Kurenai said.

"I'm fine, Kurenai-sensei."

"Good." Her look said she wanted to have a _talk_ (not a talk, but a _talk_ ), when they returned. "We won't be here to bail you out for the next month or two, but I'll try to keep these idiots alive in the meantime."

"Hinata-sama," Maki finally said. Her tone was serious.

(Shino raised an eyebrow, tucking away his observation like hoarders do food.)

"No need...to-to call me that." Hinata swallowed, throat going dry.

"Can't you see I'm trying to be respectful?" she said, breaking into a smirk. "It's an honor to be your substitute, 'sall I wanted to say."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

Team 7 arrived shortly thereafter.

Itachi was walking next to Sasuke, locked in an argument of whispers. Sasuke was glaring at him (no surprise there).

"You're late!" Kurenai said. "We were supposed to leave an hour ago!"

"I had to run an errand and they just...followed me." Kakashi shrugged.

Hinata didn't notice Kakashi's glance between she and Itachi from behind his book.

She _did_ notice that Naruto threw his arm around Sakura's shoulders. Sakura backhanded him.

("Get away from me, PERVERT!")

But they seemed...happy.

And that was all she could hope for, really, when it came right down to it. Her smile, as goodbyes were said, was bittersweet.


	25. Day 107

**Day 107**

000

Kakashi leaned against the tree trunk, trusting the branch to support his weight.

Amegakure loomed in the distance, sheathed in rain and smog.

He had sent one of his dogs in to scope out the perimeter in the hopes of finding an opening. Itachi's intel noted that Pain (who managed to escape the attack, along with two or three other members) controlled the rainfall. Every Sunday, or when Pain left the village, a special rain would fall that was connected to his senses, making conventional infiltration impossible.

It had been raining for several days in a row now, according to Kiba. Shino had agreed, mentioning that his bugs could detect trace amounts of chakra in it. So it was likely that they would have to wait until Pain returned.

Kurenai appeared next to him. "So how are we going to get in?"

"We'll either have to wait until the rain stops...or figure out how to enter without being detected."

"Sasuke-kun's probably the fastest person here..."

"Speed won't matter if you get hit by even a drop of rain."

"Hmm. We could tunnel underneath, using buildings as cover."

"If we had a map...that could be a possibility."

"Maki's Byakugan could aid in that." Kurenai frowned. She had almost said _Hinata_. That was...unprofessional.

"What's her range?"

"At least a kilometer. Probably more."

Kakashi's reply was cut off by Naruto's yell.

"Why the hell would I need to put down the tarps?"

"Because, in case you haven't noticed, it's _raining_ ," Sasuke growled.

"Isn't the _tent_ good enough?"

"If you like getting wet."

"If it's so important, then _you_ do it!" Naruto crossed his arms.

"I already _SET UP_ the tents!"

Sakura muttered something under her breath ("Idiots") and facepalmed.

"Yeah? Well...you had Team 8's _help_!"

"Whatever."

"Don't _whatever_ me, you little shit!"

"Don't call _me_ a little shit, dead last!"

Kakashi glanced up at the sky. "At this rate, the Akatsuki can just track the sound of their bickering."

Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose.

Shino walked by and smacked both of them in the back of the head.

Kiba punctuated this with an equally loud: "SHUT _UP_ DO YOU WANT THE AKATSUKI TO HEAR YOU?...Morons."

Kakashi sighed.

This was going to be a very, very long mission.


	26. Day 112

**Day 112**

000

Itachi was pacing outside the main entrance of Konoha Hospital. It was cold, and the branches were bare, but he didn't bother with a jacket. A leftover from ANBU, he supposed. The only winter milder than Konoha's was probably Kirigakure's.

He decided that his nerves were from the number of people inside the waiting room. Yes, and he was going outside to get some air.

(Of course, the real reason for his nervousness was that this was the examination in which the sex of the child was determined.)

He glared at a nearby tree.

"What did this tree ever do to _you_?"

"...Genma-san."

Genma hopped down from the tree. "'Sup?"

"Waiting."

"Normally you do that in a waiting room."

Itachi buried his hands deeper into his pockets and looked away. "I needed some air."

"Ah." Genma fiddled with the senbon in his mouththoughtfully."Jeez, though, you must be pretty virile to already, well...you know."

"Do you really have to phrase it that way?"

"What's got _you_ so nervous?"

Itachi knew that if he remained quiet, Genma would (probably) lose interest and bother someone else.

"Well, if it bugs you that much, forget I asked." Genma paused for what felt like an eternity. " _So!_ I heard Sasuke-kun was going on a really important mission. A-rank, top-secret, all that jazz."

(Itachi's eye twitched.)

"Yes."

"You know when they'll be back?"

"...No."

"Not even a ballpark figure? Hm." Genma patted him on the shoulder. "You're pretty quiet today."

(Another twitch.)

"So I've been trying to figure out how to perform the _Hiraishin_ by myself. Oddly enough, directing chakra to my feet made it worse. I wonder...maybe you could use your Sharingan and tell me what's going on?"

"I think a Hyuga might be better suited to that."

"Ah. True...true...Hmm. You're not wearing a jacket in this weather? Jeez."

"I-"

"Some kinda flu's been going around. Do you _want_ to catch it?"

"Er...That's nice."

Genma slapped him on the back. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Catch you later?"

Itachi's responding cough went unheard, as Genma had already retreated from sight.

Itachi startled at the small 'uhm' behind him. Unfortunately for him, it was not another Special Jounin wanting to make small talk.

It was Hinata.

"Hi."

"How'd it go?"

"Well...it's a girl, and..."

Itachi didn't hear the rest of what she said.

During that brief second, the fact of Hinata's pregnancy had ceased to be an abstract concept. In a little under six months, there would be a child. His child. His _daughter_.

To say that he felt the edge of a panic attack cutting into his chest would be an understatement.

"Is...are you alright?"

But beneath the knife-edge of panic, going almost undetected, was the beginning of something...different.

"...I will be. It's a bit..."

"Sc-scary?"

Unsure what would come out of his mouth, Itachi simply nodded.


	27. Day 120

There was a knock at the door.

Hinata paused in her flower-pressing, setting aside the mint plant she was preparing. Its violet spray of tiny blossoms would look exquisite on the page, and the leaves smelled quite nice, too. There were times she was very glad of the Uchiha compound's greenhouse.

She heard the door shut when she reached the staircase. Itachi must have gotten it.

But the smell of steamed cabbage caused an all-too familiar twist in her gut. But she lingered all the same.

"-nk you for the food," Itachi said.

"Not at all. I had a feeling you might like some, so I thought I would stop by." Mikoto's voice rang out into the front room, followed by her hop-step laugh.

Hinata clapped her hands to her mouth and finally gave in to the nausea. If Itachi had heard her gasp and run to the toilet, his tone of voice did not give it away.

She was pressing her forehead to the edge of the bathtub after the dry heaving stopped. She wiped the vomit from her lips with a scrap of toilet paper, then flushed the whole mess down again. The smell of the cabbage had managed not to infiltrate past the stairway, so far.

Perhaps she would light a scented candle.

Incense was stronger, but that would require going downstairs.

The candle she grabbed from the linen closet smelled of honeysuckle. If only there was a cup of chamomile tea to go along with it. Her desk was cluttered enough, however.

She pruned away excess leaves from the stem and placed it on the already half-finished page, making sure to layer a piece of tissue paper over the top. The mechanics of flower-pressing allowed her to sort her thoughts.

One thought that had needed much sorting for some time now was the simple fact that in a few months, however far away it seemed now, there would be a child of her own in her arms. One question that was going to crop up, obviously, was whose eyes she would have.

Hinata hoped none of her children would gain a bloodline limit of any kind. Being the product of two very powerful clans will be enough stress, even if this first child was not likely to be the heir...and there would be more children. It was only a matter of time.

Time that she wished she had had more of, before being thrown into this.

Normally, the engagement would be publicly announced within a week of finalization, and the betrothed would have met several times before signing the wedding certificates. Even if Itachi had only been thirteen (and she had only been eight). There was more going on than a political union, she suspected, but it seemed irrelevant now.

Her initial panic at having to live with a stranger was a bit...embarrassing.

(Especially one so polite as Itachi, even if he seemed to have his Sharingan activated most of the time.)

She blushed, acknowledged it, and began work on another page. The bright yellow gorse would make a striking contrast with red geranium, and a spray of thyme would tie the arrangement together.

She laid down the piece of tissue paper. It wasn't the best idea, but this sorting of thoughts required more than one page.

Her mind traveled back to the unfamiliar territory of motherhood as she closed the book.

In a way, she knew a few things about taking care of a child from long stretches of babysitting Hanabi. And she understood far less than that, she decided, placing the first weight on top.

Childbirth was scary, but not in the same way as what came after.

What sort of parent would she be? Hopefully not too lax, like the harried mother at the market. And hopefully she would not cause her children to loathe her, either, like a few other parents she was aware of.

(Mikoto sprang to mind first, but she immediately dismissed the idea; while she did not have the full story, it was not wise to make assumptions.)

The final weight was forgotten as her arms curled anxiously around her stomach, though it was not yet swollen.

Worst of all would be if she was as icy as her own father. Just as strict and unbending. With him, there had been no hugs or bedtime stories. Only, perhaps, when she was much younger, a pat on the head and a sweet.

No, she refused to raise a child like that. Certainly, being raised as a member of a prominent clan would have its own hardships. And, certainly, there will be people who treat others badly.

But she would not be one of those people, she decided, putting the final weight in place.


	28. Day 121

**Day 121**

000

Itachi stared at his disjointed reflection in the river. He leaned on the railing of the bridge, trying to clear his mind.

But it was all he could do to not panic about what would come at the end of June. It was all he could do to not wish that Shisui was still there to give advice. To talk to.

And it was all he could do to not wish that Shisui hadn't casually plucked his own eye out and asked Itachi to kill him to protect the clan. And he had done it with a smile.

(Itachi wished, so much, that he had been able to say no.)

He could still feel his hands around Shisui's neck, holding his head beneath the Naka River's surface. The way Shisui's hands gripped at his forearms, finally twitching and going slack.

Itachi rested his forehead on the palm of his hand and twisted his fingers into his bangs. He sucked in a long, shaky breath.

Itachi had just killed his best friend.

"I-Itachi?"

A hand brushed against his shoulder. He jerked his head around to see who it was.

Hinata dropped her hand and frowned, clutching an envelope tightly. Itachi was bent over the chest-high railing of the bridge. His shoulder had been shaking beneath her fingertips.

With a sudden quickness, he stilled, inhaled, and straightened.

"D-do you...want to ta—"

"No." His voice was thin and weak, eyes rimmed in red. "What is it?"

"Um. Are you alright?"

(Hinata realized, with a start, that Itachi had seemed more like an entity than a person to her, up until this point.)

She bit her lip. He was staring at the river again.

Itachi didn't flinch this time when Hinata's hand touched his shoulder. "If, if you need to talk...I'll be happy to listen. O-okay?"

"What's in the envelope?" he said, voice returning a little.

"Um, I think it's a summons. For you. It's marked 'urgent.'"

She held it out to him.

"Thank you for bringing me this." He paused. "Maybe. Maybe I can talk, but...later."

"Oh...It was nothing. Really!"

For a few minutes, they lingered. A few people passed them by on the bridge, giving an odd look or two. Then, in tandem, they began the slow walk home.


	29. Day 127

**Day 127**

000

Itachi tugged at the flak jacket he was wearing. It was clunky and hindered his movements. He glanced again at his father's back, noting the route he was taking.

Today, he was starting his first day as an analyst in the Konoha Military Police Force's investigative branch.

Fugaku opened a glass door that led into a fairly new-looking part of the police building. For a moment, Itachi was stunned by the sheer volume of complicated-looking technology.

"Ah, Fugaku-san. You mentioned you had a new recruit for us. I just wasn't expecting it to be your eldest son."

"Itachi, this is Ensei. He's the head of this branch. I have work to do. Ensei-san, show him around, please."

Itachi stared up at the tall, graying-at-the-edges man and tugged the corner of his mouth up in an attempt to smile. Ensei raised an eyebrow, then motioned for Itachi to follow.

"So, Itachi-kun, I hear you're very talented. Awakened Mangekyo. Next in line to lead our clan."

"Erm..."

"But at the same time, don't let yourself think that this talent makes you better than the other grunts who work beneath me."

"I...I really don't-"

"Here's your desk. You'll be on a team with Kizui. I'm sure he'll be happy to debrief you." Ensei nodded once.

A folder was shoved into Itachi's hands. He slid into the creaky, wheeled office chair, glancing once at the desk next to his.

"So you're Itachi. Thought you'd be taller."

Itachi shifted his gaze back to the man in the desk next to his. He didn't seem all that impressive: mousy brown hair, sallow skin, ill-fitting uniform, circles under his eyes.

"You must be Kizui."

"Yep! And this-" Kizui held up a cat skull.

Itachi blanched. "Why do you have...a dead...dead..."

"- _This._ Is Shibou."

"That's a cat...skull." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "What purpose does that … thing serve?"

"You don't have to feed skeletons. I had the rest of her, but Yakumi got rid of her one day." He leaned back in his seat and waved at a serious-looking young woman. "Isn't that right, Yakumi?"

"Ah. Kizui. And you must be Itachi. I see you've met 'Shibou' already. Disgusting thing."

"No, Shibou is my _cat_."

"Imbeciles." Yakumi narrowed her eyes at them.

Kizui shrugged. "Yeah, Yakumi's workin' with us. Anyway! That hottie over there's Mizu, but don't try hitting on her or anything. She doesn't like that."

"I wouldn't. Trust me." These were all people vaguely familiar to Itachi, perhaps seen at clan meetings. Otherwise, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep all the names straight.

"And the old guy workin' with her's Junri. They're our detectives."

"Ah."

"And he's not here right now, but Arate's our primary investigator. He'll probably bring one of us analysts along on his next case."

"I see."

"And you've already met Ensei. So. Any questions?"

"What's our current mission?"

"Good, you just want to get started. I like that in a teammate." Kizui raised an eyebrow. "Though I wouldn't go so far as to call fecal analysis a mission."

Itachi decided that he didn't like Kizui very much.


	30. Day 129

**Day 129**

000

When Hinata returned home from the Hyuga complex, the note she left on the door was gone and the door unlocked. Her nerves nearly got the better of her.

(Did Itachi know what today was?)

But she took a steadying breath and went inside.

(Did he care?)

As usual, Itachi was sitting on the sofa with a book. In a heap on the floor nearby was his flak jacket.

"Hello."

"H-hi."

She finally remembered to take off her shoes.

"Um. So today...is your birthday. Right?" Itachi half-mumbled.

"Yes...?"

"I...um. I hope you had a nice day."

"Oh. Thank you," she said, not really sure what to make of his sudden fascination with the book in his lap.

"About...the bridge."

"If-"

"I'm sorry."

"It's...it's alright."

They looked at the carpet, the walls, remaining in place.

Slowly and gingerly, Hinata stepped around the table and sat at the far end of the sofa. She opened the end table drawer and pulled out the knitting needles and yarn, frowning at the tangle that was supposed to have been the beginnings of a sweater.

"I'm going to make tea," Itachi said, and walked off to the kitchen.

Hinata cringed at the mess of her project and stuck it back into the drawer.

(This had happened about four times before then, and would happen several more times before she finally threw it away.)

Itachi returned with two cups of chamomile a few minutes later.

"Um. Thank you."

"I guess it's not much of a celebration," he said, sitting down.

"I don't mind." She took a sip.

The silence was less of a painful fog than usual. From habit or familiarity, Hinata couldn't say.

"The Academy's on holiday break, correct?" Itachi asked, fingers tapping at the sofa's arm.

"Yes. The next session starts in two weeks, I think."

"Ah. Have you...thought about...when to go on leave?"

"Mhm." Sip. "Luckily, um...the Academy term would be nearly over by then, I think. R-really just exams to oversee."

"Convenient."

"So...um. What have you been doing with the police? If—if it's not classified."

Itachi's mouth twisted wryly. "So far, I have mostly analyzed samples of dog feces. I feel like a genin again."

Hinata tried quite hard to suppress her giggle, and failed quite miserably. The laughter caught; Itachi's own dry chuckle was faint but present.

The silence after that felt more like a blanket.


	31. Day 134

**Day 134**

000

" _-ing_ on Itachi, and more time focusing on politics-"

"What is the harm in caring for your own children?"

"Itachi was _never_ a child. He seems to have forgotten his heritage. That is unacceptable for a bearer of the Uchiha name," she said, voice lowering as she went. "I will not have him corrupting the clan."

Her index finger, pointing into his face, was sharp, and the hand bearing her weight was crumpling the documents spread across his desk.

"Itachi is a fine young man with a level head on his shoulders." Fugaku's sigh was heavy, resigned. "There are very few things I ask of you, dear."

The _dear_ seemed to placate her.

"You make a valid point. Perhaps success is still possible." A note of honey crept into her voice that had not been present before.

"Mikoto, dearest, what do you want?"

Itachi entered, then. His expression was more than enough evidence that he overhead.

"Hello, Itachi. I was just going to make lunch!" Mikoto said.

Itachi waited until the door closed behind him. "You wanted to talk with me?"

"Yes." Fugaku paused, reorganizing his thoughts. "First, how are you acclimatizing to your position?"

"I...Why am I really here?"

Fugaku shrugged. "The Hokage would like to ask you some questions about one of your past missions."

"Ah."

"I won't require you to, but you can if you wish."

"Why wouldn't she ask me directly?"

"I thought you had enough to worry about, so I took a message."

"Oh. If that's it..."

Itachi was handed a slip of paper. "That's the date and time. It's up to you."

"Thank you. I'll be going, now." He nodded his head. "Otou-san."

"You're welcome. And...by the way. Happy belated new year."

The door opened and closed without further comment. Fugaku was left alone.


	32. Day 137

**Day 137**

000

It was a sort of unspoken agreement that Hinata and Itachi would eat lunch together one or two times a week. Sometimes it was in a cafe if there was time, but more often it would be a fifteen-minute exchange of pleasantries with food from home before heading back to work.

Hinata was unsure what to say, at first, because Itachi's demeanor at that very first lunch had been a bit more closed off than usual. But as they continued, it opened up little by little, like a door that had rusted over.

He seemed most comfortable when they ate at the cafe, even when the civilians gave their flak jackets and hitai-ates a wide berth.

"Has anything interesting happened at the police station?"

"I walked a crime scene and collected evidence."

"What sort of crime?" Hinata sipped her tea.

"Someone stole all the alcohol from a bar. The Hokage was...less than pleased, since it was her preferred venue. Not really my department, but I was called in anyway." Itachi was resting his cheekbone against his palm, rubbing his temple. "I believe I bagged and labeled at least one hundred individual pieces of broken bottles."

Hinata stifled a laugh. "Really?"

"They're hoping to find fingerprints."

"I see."

"So your students aren't giving you too much trouble?"

"They're a little edgy, being stuck inside because of the cold." She took a bite of food. "I, um. I think they're really excited to—to meet, you know, the b-baby. Because I explained earlier that, well, I'd be leaving right before testing."

Itachi shifted in his spot, trying to find a way of kneeling without jostling his knee; he crawled into glass earlier in the hunt for evidence. "Is that so?"

"Yep." She pursed her lips. "They really, really want to know, well, her name."

"...Ah. What did you say?"

"I...hadn't really thought about it yet."

"Mm."

They ate in silence after that, occasionally glancing up at the clock. After the bill was paid, they stood outside.

"So. I'll be seeing you."

"Mhm." Hinata started to walk away, but turned back a bit.

"Oh, um. Have a nice day."

"Yeah...you, too."


	33. Day 144

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All dialogue chapter because why not

**Day 144**

000

"Yes. He just went straight to his room and refuses to leave. I think something may have happened."

"Hinata, I'd like you to use your Byakugan when we get there."

"You...want me to come?"

"Yes."

"...Okay. Let me get ready."

"Did Sasuke about the mission at all?"

"Come to think of it, yes."

"Really?"

"Something about...snakes, I think. You think Orochimaru has anything to do with this?"

"It's possible."

"If so, I'll have to call Anko here. She's had firsthand experience."

"I doubt it'll come to that."

"O-okay, I'm ready."

"Hinata-chan, if you notice any chakra anomalies, let me know immediately."

"Of course, Fugaku-san."

"And Itachi..."

"I know."

"Blasted door always sticks, should get around to oiling it again. This way."

"S-so um. What happens if there's something wrong with his chakra?"

"First, determine the source of the anomaly. If it's around his neck, that's when we call in Anko and a squad."

"Alright."

"Hey, Sasuke. I've brought Itachi here."

"Hm."

"I'll be back in a bit, have to take care of some reports. Maybe he will reply to you."

"Sasuke? Hinata, is he in there?"

"Yes. His chakra is a bit depleted, but otherwise fine.

"That's...good.

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

"...Go'way."

"Our parents are worried. What happened?"

"'s nothing."

"M-maybe he was injured? It's hard to tell. He's curled up on the bed."

"Are you hurt?"

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Sasuke...?"

"You just don't get it! You've never had to go through this!"

"What."

"I fucked up!"

"...What happened?"

"I got the...fuck it, it doesn't matter, go away."

"Um. He's … heheh."

"Don't laugh at me! I know you are!"

"...What's he doing, Hinata?"

"He's buried his head under his pillow."

"Sasuke, whatever happened, it can't be as bad as you think."

"How do you know?! You weren't there!"

"Well, you're alive."

"Whatever."

"Maybe we should, um, leave him alone?"

"I...think that's for the best."


	34. Day 150

Day 150

000

Hinata dropped the section of grapefruit from her chopsticks when she heard the door open.

Mikoto Uchiha was standing in front of her.

"Um...can I help you?"

(She had stayed after class ended to do some bookkeeping, and finish off the last of her lunch.)

"Hinata-chan, I know this may not be the best time..."

"Oh, that's alright. I-I'm almost done."

(The only students left in the building now were the older ones being privately tutored.)

"Ah, so I see. Hm." She tapped a finger to her lips. "I don't mean to intrude, but perhaps it may be a good idea to go on early leave? I just want to be sure everything goes smoothly."

"Um. I've...already s-set the date for leave." Hinata made a mark in her gradebook. "It's near the end of March."

"If you're certain."

"I—I mean, the d-doctor said there weren't any problems with—so—"

"Oh, well in that case, forgive me. I'll be going now."

"H-have a nice day."

"And you as well. Good day."

Mikoto nodded and left. Hinata couldn't help but think that Mikoto seemed frustrated, as the door closed.


	35. Day 152

**Day 152**

000

Itachi couldn't sleep. That was nothing new. He was curled up in a ball among his sheets, eyes burning, mind whirling.

Was this what it was supposed to feel like? Raw nerves and the lead weight of tradition bearing down even faster than before? A knot of razor-wire? The tickle of nausea at the pit of his gut?

He squeezed his eyes shut.

There was no way he could do this...parent thing. No. Not without mucking it up horribly. Look at his parents. His training, a joint effort when he was younger. His father taught him the clan ninjutsu, his mother the basics of genjutsu.

It was during one such training session with his mother that he activated the Sharingan, at age eight.

" _Alright, let's go over what we've learned about breaking genjutsu," she said._

" _If I'm caught in a genjutsu, I should make a seal of release—kai!" he said, demonstrating, "to reverse the flow of chakra for a second. And if that doesn't work, a sharp pain will do the trick, like in dreams."_

_She began a series of handseals. "Now, to put what you've learned into practice, break this genjutsu."_

_The first thing that struck Itachi was the smell. Copper, smoke. Burned flesh._

No.

_There was a dead jounin at his feet, brain matter smearing the earth. Further off was the noise of jutsu going off, flame to flame and stone to stone._

"No!"

_A kunoichi with black hair and a kunai between her eyes fell onto him, knocking him face-to-face with the jounin. He whimpered and tried to push her body off, but only succeeded in wedging himself further between the two bodies._

_A shadow passed by, smelling of ozone; a Cloud-nin._

_Itachi's throat tightened. He clamped a hand over his mouth to avoid screaming._

_When the ozone receded, he tried to escape the press of bodies again. His hand found a thick, cold wetness that had congealed on the surface already. His stomach threatened to heave, and he bit down_ _on his hand to keep from making noise._

_And then he was sitting on the porch across from his mother with tears in his eyes and a headache._

" _Oh. Oh dear. I'm sorry. I underestimated its effect on you." But Mikoto was unable to hide a quirk of her mouth. "Oh, look at that."_

_He was led to the bathroom and made to peer at the mirror._

_He had awakened Sharingan._

Itachi turned over, burying himself further into his sheets.

He couldn't imagine _wanting_ to make a child to experience such things. Not even in the name of education.

_Never_ to gain power.

But others _could_ imagine adding another prodigy such as him to their ranks, traumatizing a child to awaken power. There were plenty of people in the clan, possibly Konoha, who wouldn't mind getting their hands on another talented Uchiha child. Especially the offspring of _Itachi_ Uchiha.

(Mikoto would be at the forefront of that group of people, of course.)

(It would be easy enough to wrest a child from the parent's hands, especially a clan head's. After all, any reduction of stress was welcome in such a job.)

It would be even worse if she inherited Sharingan or Byakugan. Choice would be a reward rarely offered, rarer truly given, and rarest of all have significance. The clan would make certain of that. They would not see a child, but a tool.

At the same time, though...that did not require _him_ to think of her as a tool, whatever eyes she would have. Most importantly, he would ensure that his children would get to choose their own pathways in life, no matter what.

For the first time in weeks, with that thought, he slept through the night.


	36. Day 160

**Day 160**

000

Hinata left for the Academy a few hours before Itachi left for the Police complex. This had been the trend for the past month or so, and trends tended to become routines. Itachi was rather fond of routines, and not so fond of any form of disturbance of those routines.

So, in a way, Hinata leaving her flak jacket open was quite a disruption.

She poured a cup of tea and sipped at it, and her bag was propped up by the door, and everything else was aligned as per the morning ritual...all but her flak jacket. Itachi's fingers twitched at his side. He tried not to glance at the black shirt or the end of the zipper, though that effort soon proved fruitless.

Finally, though, after a few minutes wherein he occasionally glanced at his feet, and mostly glanced at the offending article of clothing, he felt the need to mention it.

"Did you know your flak jacket's open?" he said.

She paused mid-sip, staring blankly at him. "Y—um. Yes?"

"...Oh." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"It's...too small. Because, um. I—heh—started to show."

" _Oh._ "

"Don't worry about it," she said, beginning to put together her bento. Itachi couldn't make out her expression through the curtain of hair. "It's...not. Um. I don't think it...affects you."

"How so?"

She laughed a bit. "Well, um, you're not pregnant."

"Heh. I guess not. Though I imagine..."

"What?"

"Nevermind. It's irrelevant."

"I-I don't know about that."

"It's not an ideal situation. I guess," Itachi said, after a moment of thought. "I don't know that I'm cut out for parenthood," he added, softly, staring up at the ceiling light.

"I—I...that—" When Itachi dared to look back at her, she was half laughing, half sighing with relief. "I k-kinda feel the same way."

"Really."

"Yeah. At least, well. At least we're not alone." She closed the lid over her lunch and slipped on her shoes. "Bye."

The door closed with a click. "...Goodbye."


	37. Day 163

**Day 163**

000

Sometimes, when the cold was biting a little less, and their schedules overlapped, Hinata and Hanabi would take a quick walk around Konoha, then have tea and talk at Hinata's, with Hinata eating grapefruit along with it.

"So," Hanabi said, twitching her nose to move a piece of hair out of her view, "what's he like?"

"What do you mean? You've talked with him before."

"You know." Her smirk was palpable.

"Hanabi..." Hinata cringed.

"Well?" Hanabi puckered her lips. "Oh, come on."

"It's...really not appropriate." Hinata looked at her hands and pretended that the room didn't suddenly feel twenty degrees hotter.

"Seriously, neesan. You're what, five months pregnant? I mean really."

"It's f-four...something. Actually." Hinata stuffed a grapefruit section into her mouth in the hopes of deterring the ensuing mortification.

"Did you just go to a fertility clin—"

She nearly choked. "N-no!"

"Well, _something_ had to happen! It's okay, I won't tell anybody if he just aimed for it or something."

"H-Hanabi!" Hinata was going to die.

"Oh my god, he _did_!" Hanabi leaned forward, almost knocking foreheads with Hinata. Her voice cracked. "He _totally_ did! You have got to give me the details!"

"I...did what?" Itachi poked his head in from the front door.

Hinata shrieked and nearly fell off the side of the couch. Hanabi rolled her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Itachi muttered, already kneeling nearby and trying to perform some sort of ANBU-ish first-aid routine. Hinata nodded, righting herself, and rubbed at her eyes.

"Hey, Itachi-san, are you that fast in … other places?"

"Excuse me?"

(Operation: Fluster Itachi had begun.)

"So...do you do it with Sharingan on?" Hanabi's expression was somewhere between 'blank stare' and 'smug grin.'

Hinata emitted a series of squeaks through her hands. Itachi hadn't heard such squeaks in awhile, though he had little trouble discerning the meaning.

"I'm not really sure if..."

"Well? How did my future niece get made?" Hanabi crossed her arms.

"How do you think?" He frowned. "You're making Hinata uncomfortable."

"So...is it true that pregnant women are," she said, dropping her voice to a stage whisper, "easily aroused?"

Hinata shrieked something that sounded like "H-H-Hanabi!"

"I wouldn't know." He stood up fully, digging his hand into his pocket. Hinata heard the rustling of paper, somehow, over the sound of blood pounding in her ears. "I have work to do."

Hanabi did what any mature thirteen year old would do: stick out her tongue.

Itachi glanced back as he walked toward the stairway, raising an eyebrow as he went.

(Operation: Fluster Itachi had failed.)


	38. Day 175

**Day 175**

000

Hinata had just settled in for a quick nap, and was a bit displeased to hear someone knocking on the door. She noted, after checking with Byakugan, that it was Mikoto. She was standing with her arms crossed and foot tapping, so there was no ignoring her.

After pulling on some more appropriate clothes and quickly running a brush through her hair, Hinata went downstairs and opened the door.

"Ah! I'm glad you're home!" Mikoto said in lieu of greeting. "I see Itachi's been rubbing off on you when it comes to greeting guests."

"Hello, Mikoto-san."

"Yes, hello there." She tapped a finger against her lips. "Hm."

"Can I...help you?"

"Have you thought about how you'll keep the house clean once the baby's born?"

"Um...isn't that thinking a little bit ahead?"

"Can never get too early of a start! Especially new mothers."

"I suppose so." She bit back a yawn.

"How _will_ you take care of the house with Itachi doing his police work?"

"I-"

"Oh, it's alright. I can help if need be."

"Th-that's very nice of you."

Mikoto slipped off her shoes and stepped around the front room, glancing it up and down. "I suppose you'll want to get a head start?"

"I'll. I'll get the cleaning supplies," Hinata mumbled, stepping over to the broom closet.

She grabbed a mop, broom, and the necessary cleaning solutions, taking care not to drop anything.

Mikoto took the mop and bucket without any further comment, walking to the kitchen. Hinata could hear the hollow thump the water made as the bucket filled up. She wondered if it would be better if she mopped, as the dustpan required her to crouch down in order to sweep.

"Now, I know as it gets late in the pregnancy it gets more difficult to clean. Especially low shelves." Mikoto plopped the bucket onto the linoleum floor of the juncture between living room and kitchen. "So perhaps it would be best for you to mop?"

As the broom and mop exchanged hands, Hinata said, "Um, M-Mikoto-san, I've b-been, well, exhausted, lately...s-so-"

"I'm very sorry to hear that, but a mother's work is never done, you know."

"I see."

Hinata began the process of adding soap to the water and wringing the mop out, trying to ignore the knot of pain forming in her back. She stopped for a second, shaking off some of the sleepiness from earlier.

"Hinata-chan? Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, um. I...I cleaned the kitchen a few days ago," she mumbled, voice gaining a measure of strength. "So it seems a little excessive to, to mop it again."

"Never can be clean enough, I suppose." Mikoto picked the bucket back up and poured out the water, barely used. "Tell you what. How about I..."

Hinata heard the jingle of keys from the front door and stood up straighter, plastering a smile on her face. "Maybe...some other time? I know y-you have to be busy, yourself, Mikoto-san."

"...Of course. You know where to find me."

Itachi's voice rang out from the front room. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind me. I was just leaving." Mikoto patted his arm as she left, throwing her dark hair back with a flourish.

"Hinata. Are you alright?" His hands were in his pockets, a concerned frown on his face.

She nodded, loosening her grip on the still-dripping mop. "I'm just tired."

"Want me to put this back?" he asked, glancing at the cleaning supplies strewn about.

"If it's not too much trouble."

Itachi was already bending to pick up what was on the floor. "What did my mother want?"

"I _think_ she wanted to, um, help clean the house? She was...really pushy, though."

"You can just ask me, you know." Itachi put the bottles and bucket away, and held his hand out for the mop, already holding the broom. There was a little half-smile creeping up his face. "It's no trouble at all."

"I'll be upstairs. If...if you need me. Then." She blushed and nodded, and began to walk back up the stairs.

"...Have a nice nap. By the way."


	39. Day 180

**Day 180**

000

Murder was rare in Konoha. Rare enough that Arate, the primary investigator, was tense.

Arate, Itachi discovered, was never tense. He was quiet and thin, with short black hair, but relaxed and easygoing despite the severe appearance. Even if Itachi had yet to converse with him outside of work.

And today's work was to investigate a murder.

He had seen more than enough gruesome deaths during his tenure in ANBU, so the blood splattered around the bedroom, the bloody scraps of metal, or even the exposed bone was not the culprit of his nervousness.

He mentally flipped through the report again as Arate set down his case of supplies and Yakumi took photographs, her camera flashing.

The woman's body had been found by one of her children, the oldest of three, earlier that morning. The child had ran over to a neighbor's house in a panic, and the neighbor took all three children to the police station, whereupon a report was made and Itachi was called in a few hours before his shift normally started. So maybe his nerves were just a product of being rushed.

"Itachi," Arate barked, "Stop daydreaming, put on some gloves, and check this kunai for fingerprints." He muttered, under his breath, "Damn it, this doesn't happen around here."

"Of course, sir."

"It seems like a shinobi did this. There're some senbon to ID the manufacturer for, as well." Arate's eyes took in the rest of the team. "Kizui! Go to Records and dig up the names of any living ninja with a history of pyschotic episodes. That'll be a good place to start, judging from these wounds. Yakumi, start doing a preliminary exam on the body."

"Righto, boss." Kizui mock-saluted and was gone in a blur.

"With pleasure," Yakumi murmured.

000

Itachi came home much later than he had wanted to. The house was dark and quiet.

A pang of _something_ lanced through his chest, as he thought about the case for the thousandth time, and for a moment he was half tempted to check inside Hinata's room. He shook his head, and began preparing a late-night sort of meal.

Just rice, tea, and what appeared to be leftover from earlier in the evening, as found in the fridge.

He ate it as he leaned against the countertop, trying to force all thoughts of the murder out of his head. It wouldn't do to dwell on it through the night. Besides. Murder was rare in Konoha.


	40. Day 190

**Day 190**

000

_Mikoto was wearing a black twelve-layer kimono, with little red cranes embroidered on the hem of the outermost robe. Her feet did not seem to touch the ground, obscured as they were by voluminous skirts._

_Hinata could feel cold stone on her bare feet. She found herself wearing a white, well-fitted yukata, swollen stomach stretching the fabric._

_Mikoto had Sharingan activated. Between her outstretched hands a white bundle of cloth had appeared. Hinata was unable to tell what was in it, though she could guess._

_She scrambled back against a pillar. An aura of malice emanated from the bundle. She sank to the ground and hugged her stomach, bringing her knees up as well. All she wanted was to disappear._

_The bundle's shape distorted as one snake, then more, began to slither out. Each one hit the ground with a little_ plop _. Their bellies made a hissing noise against the stone as they headed toward Hinata in formation._

_Mikoto smiled warmly at the bundle."I'll take care of you when your parents are away. Don't worry."_

Hinata clamped her hands over her mouth, trying not to hyperventilate, as she sat up in bed. Her fingertips were cold and damp with sweat.

She was no stranger to bizarre dreams, even scary ones. Especially in the last few months. They hadn't caused her to wake up shaking before, nor did they ever involve Mikoto.

Maybe it was just twisting around a conversation she had with her a few days ago. Mikoto had simply offered to babysit if needed when Hinata's maternity leave was over with. If Hinata decided to go back to working at the Academy in some capacity. If no complications arose.

But in the dream...Mikoto had taken possession of the bundle ( _her child)_ with such ease. And then the snakes erupted from it.

(And she could do nothing to stop it.)

Hinata stared at the curve of her stomach and placed her hands on it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes against the tears welling up. "I'm so, so sorry."

There was an odd feeling beneath her hands as she shifted them, a gentle flutter against her fingers. She stilled, wondering if it was just tiredness affecting her perception.

It happened again.

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. A sort of smile was pulling at her lips. Byakugan wasn't needed to figure this out.

"S-so you...like it when I talk?" she whispered, glancing around the room. "Well, um, I'm. I'm Hinata. I guess that...makes me your m-m-mom."

There was another little movement. Hinata smiled. "I guess I should...go back to sleep. I've got work in the morning." She laughed a little. "This is r-really weird."

With a last little, nervous chuckle, she fell back to sleep.


	41. Day 191

**Day 191**

000

Itachi's neck was stiff and sore, and there was very little else he wished to do but fall into bed, when he got home from another late night at the police station. He could smell rice and fish cooking, and heard some noises from the kitchen.

As he removed his shoes and shut the door, the noises ceased.

Hinata was standing in front of him when he looked up, sure enough. There was a weird sort of smile on her face.

"Hi," she said, and he noticed that her hands were touching her slightly swollen stomach.

"Hello." He blinked, and added, "What is it?"

"I, um." Hinata paused for a second, glancing from side to side. "I'll just show you."

And before Itachi could protest or otherwise decline, she grabbed his hand and pressed it against her stomach. It was warm, and gently curved, and firm to the touch. He frowned, about to question why.

There was a gentle movement beneath his palm.

"Is that..." His words caught in his throat.

"Mhm."

"It's...moving."

"Yeah...?" Hinata stifled a laugh.

"It's only been five months." Itachi's voice was faint, flattened by shock. His hand remained on her stomach, however. "That's fast."

"You okay?"

"I'm...having a bit of trouble processing...this." He let his hand drop back to his side. "Is all."

"It is a lot, t-to take in, I know."

Hinata crossed her arms for a moment, thinking. She splayed her hands in front of her a few seconds later and said, "Wait here." Then she went upstairs.

Itachi sat on the couch and waited.

Hinata returned with a large brown envelope in one hand. She sat down next to him and placed it on the table. There were no labels on it aside from her name, and the date, a week and a half ago.

"Th-these are some sonogram prints from my last appointment." She looked guilty for a second. "Y-you were at work, and then M-Mikoto-san, and..."

"Ah." Itachi swallowed dryly.

His eyes were riveted to the folder as Hinata opened it. She pulled out a small stack of papers, sorting through them with the same odd smile as before.

"Um, I—I think this one is...w-well. I um, hope you, you know," she mumbled, looking at her lap while she handed him the paper.

He looked blankly at the printout, taking in the numbers along the side, first, and the label on top. When he dared to glance at the black semicircle with the fetus superimposed on it, he couldn't stop staring. The hand was curled up next to the mouth, caught mid-yawn maybe. It was difficult to make out the rest of the image.

All of his abstractions, his ideas, were like dream fragments now, with this grainy printout in hand.

He glanced between Hinata's stomach and the picture. The _thing_ that moved at his touch, the same _thing_ on the sonogram. That _thing_ was his daughter.

The leaf of paper slipped through his fingers and slid under the table with a sigh. Somehow he managed to stay upright, with a claw of icy anxiety piercing his chest. His hands were shaking.

Hinata bent to pick it up, biting her lip, and asked again. "A-are you okay?"

His heart was thundering in his ears. His chest felt tight, his throat dry. He wanted to throw up.

The ice was receding, however, and the hole left in its place began to fill with warmth. He took a long, slow breath, turning his head to look at Hinata.

"S-sorry I'm sorry I—I won't b-bother you-"She was sliding the pages back into the envelope. Her hair was obscuring her face.

"What are you talking about?" he said. His voice was weak.

She paused, looked up at him.

"You aren't...bothering me." His mouth hung open for a second as a thought occurred to him. "It's...well...how have you been dealing with this... _this?_ "

"I've been...dealing with 'this'...almost every d-day...so." She smiled, half strain and half mirth.

"Right. Sorry."

"O-oh. There's no n-need to apologize." She stood, leaving the envelope on the table. "M-maybe...um, we can...talk more over supper?"

"...Yeah. I think so."


	42. Day 205

**Day 205**

000

It was not particularly unusual for Mikoto to stop by on Saturdays with an offer for lunch. The past few weeks, the offer had been rejected more than accepted, with Hinata preparing to go on leave and organizing her paperwork for the last of the exams.

Today, though, the offer had come after this organizational process, so Hinata eventually accepted.

As the food was made, Mikoto darted around the kitchen to bring whatever Hinata asked for. She even set the table, pouring out green tea. It was a slightly bitter blend, judging from the smell.

There was little conversation until they were seated and the food doled out.

"I see the house is clean."

"Um, thank you."

"You're very welcome. It's impressive, especially for someone in your condition." Mikoto smiled warmly.

"B-by the way, thanks for the help with s-supper...y-you really didn't have to."

"It's no trouble at all. You are, of course, my son's wife, and soon to be mother of my grandchild."

Hinata blushed.

"Now, you don't have to answer this question, but do you know what my son's plans are? For when he assumes the position of clan head, I mean." It was said lightly, with a flip of her hair.

"Not really, no."

"What a shame...perhaps you could find out?"

"I-I'm not sure that would be a good idea...h-he's been busy, t-too..." Hinata frowned.

"Oh, nonsense. Besides," she said, leaning forward with one hand on the table. "it's never a bad idea to plan for the future."

Hinata felt Mikoto's hand brush her stomach, heard it slide back on the table and saw it pick up a pair of chopsticks. "T-true...um."

"I mean, you wouldn't want anything to happen, would you?" Mikoto chuckled a little, covering her mouth with her fingers. "So could you be a dear and see, please? We can discuss this next week, of course; no need to march to the police station right now."

"O-of course, Mikoto-san."


	43. Day 212

**Day 212**

000

Itachi came home to the smell of brewing tea. Hinata was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Her arms were crossed. She was staring at the floor.

Until around week ago, she would ask a few questions about Itachi's work, and then offer some interesting tidbits about her own day. But now, she was silent.

Itachi frowned.

"Are you alright?"

"Hm? "

"You're not...acting like yourself. Is there something wrong?"

He did not miss the widening of her eyes. "Um."

He cringed. Maybe it _was_ simply hormones."Look, forget..."

"M-Mikoto-san...she's."

"She's...what?" He kept his manner measured, despite the seed of anger sprouting in his chest.

"S-she's been asking, um, a lot of weird questions..." she murmured, pouring two cups of tea and handing one off to Itachi with a shaky hand.

The cup weighed as much as lead. "...Weird questions?"

"Oh, um. I d-don't know, just..." Her head dipped down, hair falling into her face.

"Was there anything in particular that upset you?"

She didn't reply for a few seconds, pressing her fingertips to her mouth. "It's not important," she whispered, eyes shutting, biting her lip.

Itachi's cup shattered on the kitchen floor.

He almost forgot to close the door behind him as he went.

The sun was low in the sky, oranges and violets streaking through the clouds. Itachi stared up at it, gathering his bearings and trying to sort out where Mikoto could be found.

Most likely, she was at home settling down to eat supper.

But Fugaku answered the door.

(Where could she be?)

His anger was growing leaves and thorns, now, with a bud forming on the end.

A few people were loitering around the Hokage mountain, when he arrived, though mainly tourists would still be around, now, hoping to snag a picturesque photo. He decided to take a look, anyway.

Their paths intersected at the halfway point, on the staircase.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "What brings you here?"

"What do you want with Hinata?"

"I just want to help her...adjust. Is there a problem with that?" Mikoto smiled.

"You said something, a week ago, that greatly upset her." His mouth was a thin hard line.

"And?"

"I don't know what you're planning. I don't care. But leave Hinata and her unborn child _out of it_."

Like water rolling off a duck's back, his words were deflected with a shrug. "Of course, but only if I can be assured you will do what's best for the clan."

The rose-bud of anger bloomed alongside his Sharingan. "What's best for the clan, then? Planning a coup? Caring more about politics than your own children?"

Red bled into her own irises, a scoff of a laugh her preamble. "We should be a force to be reckoned with. Instead, we coddle our children, making them _weak_."

She stepped down the staircase to be at eye level. "And what _are_ you going to do, anyway? Cast a genjutsu on me? I taught you everything you _know_ about genjutsu."

It wasn't until the Mangekyo pinwheel was fully formed that she realized her mistake.

The world of Tsukuyomi held a blood-red sky, with a black sun that could have been taken from an old woodblock print; its rays were wavering and stretched well beyond the center, arcing towards a red, full moon on the opposite end of the horizon.

Mikoto found herself entrenched in the center of a labrynth of gnarled rosebushes in full bloom, blossoms black as pitch. Even the vines keeping her in place were covered in savage thorns. There was a thick, sickly sweet smell hanging in the air.

Itachi materialized in the world he created with the crackling of dead plants.

Mikoto sputtered and choked on her words. Her voice cracked with rage, and an undercurrent of fear. "You—You—LET ME _GO_!"

"No." Itachi paced around her, vines tightening their grip as he talked. "I don't believe you heard me."

She winced, but gave no other indication of pain.

Itachi stopped, and turned to face her once more. He enunciated each word carefully. "Do _not_ touch Hinata."

And for awhile, she was trapped, thorny vines slithering to completely cover her.

When the screaming began, Itachi closed his eyes.

He caught her body in his arms upon releasing the jutsu.

Fugaku didn't ask what happened, when handed her limp body, but merely nodded.

Hinata was sitting on the sofa, hands clasped tightly together in her lap, when he returned.

He removed his shoes slowly, allowing what he had just done, and why, sink in. His knees nearly buckled as he sat down next to Hinata.

"I set things straight with my mother," he said, suddenly. "She won't be bothering you."

He didn't know what else to do or say after that, so he stood up. He half-mumbled something about a headache.

He had only taken a few steps when he felt Hinata embrace him from behind, weaving her arms under his. Her hands trembled on his waist, her forehead pressed against the nape of his neck, stomach into his back.

"Thank you," she whispered, barely audible.

Itachi watched her turn away, toward the staircase, a jolt going through his body.

His hand tugged the sleeve of her shirt. As she turned, fingers twitching at her chest, he pulled her into an embrace of his own. His chin brushed against her hair.

They remained, wordless, for awhile after that.


	44. Day 213

**Day 213**

000

Sasuke kicked at a training post. With each kick there was an undercurrent of _how, why, how, why_ , and there was renewed hope that the training post would become Itachi's face, so he could make it splinter into a thousand pieces.

For what he did to their mother.

Of course, Fugaku didn't seem the least bit disturbed that Itachi could use the Mangekyou on _his own family_. His only explanation was a mangled version of "you wouldn't understand."

Sasuke growled a curse and flung a chakra-enhanced fist at the post.

Why won't this thing _break_?

He was more than strong enough, good enough-

(Good enough to know what's going on.)

-At least as good as Itachi.

It-

(His knuckles were beginning to bleed, now.)

Wasn't-

(There was a sharp crack from the base of the post.)

_Fair!_

(When the dust cleared, he let out a feral growl, and kicked it one last time.)

Someone had to have answers, some tangible reason behind the whispers and shadows. If not his father, then someone else.

It was with this in mind that he walked home, anger beginning to gain focus and sharpness.


	45. Day 215

**Day 215**

000

"It's been awhile, Hinata-sama." Neji dipped his head in a slight bow, some of his hair spilling over his shoulders. They began strolling through the Hyuga complex, to a large garden near the back wall.

"How are you, Neji-niisan? Did your mission go well?"

"I'm fine, of course." His usual mask of indifference was dropped in favor of a slight frown. "I'm more concerned about you."

"Oh? Well, I'm alright." There was a smile in her voice.

"That's...good."

There was quiet for a bit.

"Is the Uchiha treating you with respect?"

"O-of course! Why wouldn't he?"

"I apologize. I had based my observation on his younger brother."

"It's alright. Oh, let's sit over here."

Hinata led them to a bench under a large willow whose leaves were just starting to bud. There was a koi pond nearby. She watched as the fish swam in lazy circles.

"So...this child...hasn't been giving you any trouble, I hope," Neji said, very quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"No complications?"

"None that I know of."

"...Good."

"I'll be fine, Neji-niisan." She smiled at him, but her expression faltered after a few seconds. "Th-this sounds kind of silly but, but I've been thinking a lot about names."

"Have you?" Neji's expression warmed slightly.

"I...yes, but, but I don't know where to begin..."

"Hm." Neji leaned back a little, crossing his arms in thought. "Well. The Uchiha are fond of symbols and omens."

Hinata tittered a little. "I think most clans are."

"The child is due in June, yes?"

"Oh! Maybe Natsubi, for a summer's day...but...I don't know...doesn't sound right."

One of the koi came close to the surface of the water, causing a ripple. It was pale, with bright orange patches. Hinata's hand rested lightly on her stomach. A thought occurred to her.

"Neji-niisan, what would you say this...marriage symbolizes?" she said, very quietly.

"The resolution of a long-standing conflict. I have heard some say it's a union of light and dark, though I believe that's an exaggeration."

Hinata stifled a yawn with her knuckles. "Thank you for the company, Neji-niisan, but I'm tired."

"Want me to walk you back?"

"No need. It's not even dark yet." She stood up, adjusting her clothes. Neji stood as well.

"Hinata-sama. It's the least I can do."

There was a brief, shared smile, and their conversation continued throughout the walk to the Uchiha Compound.


	46. Day 219

**Day 219**

000

Hinata began noticing a small difference during the times when Itachi was in close proximity. He kept bumping into her, brushing against her stomach, and then apologizing for the accident.

A highly trained Sharingan user, with years of combat experience and lightning-reflexes. Doing this by _accident_.

Of course, she very quickly put two and two together.

She almost dropped the book she was reading, when this struck her. In all her planning, her meticulous organization of thought, she hadn't truly considered that Itachi would ever _want_ to be an active prescence in their child's life.

She had doubted his intentions, him, assuming that it was the same with all clans. The use of manipulation to take what is needed, and letting others deal with the consequences. _Act only in the clan's best interests._

She had assumed that every kindness, up until then, had been a ploy to gain her trust, to reveal a weakness in the other clan, and to ensure that she and the child—their daughter—would not one day have run away from the duty before them.

She had assumed, and she had been wrong.

Little else was sharper than that realization.

The bubble of nerves that had been sitting in the middle of her chest finally burst, the anxiety becoming little more than a brief spray of mist.

She wasn't alone.

She smiled down at her book, quietly, deciding to hold onto this knowledge until it could be acted upon.


	47. Day 225

**Day 225**

000

Itachi dragged his feet as he walked up the stairs. He wasn't sure how to talk about it, even though he had turned it over and over in his head for weeks.

Hinata's voice, soft, was audible as he shuffled down the hall. He hesitated at the door, hand lifted to knock.

"And standing there, orange and tall with matted fur, was the og-" Hinata's voice broke off for a second. "...Itachi?"

He pushed the door open a little. "Can I come in?"

"Mhm."

Hinata was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a few pillows behind her back, leaning against the side of her bed. She was placing a bookmark into a book—one that Itachi assumed she had been reading from before.

Itachi walked around the corner of the bed and, unsure what to do, stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"I...what were you doing?" he finally said.

"Oh, um, I was reading. To...the baby." Hinata set the book aside sheepishly.

" _Oh._ "

"You can sit down, it's okay."

So Itachi sat down, crossing his legs. "I...need to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Well." He took a deep breath. "Um. We only have two bedrooms. So."

"Go on."

"I don't think there's enough time to, well, really convert one of the spare rooms..."

"Mhm."

"Maybe we should, ah, share a bed?" He hoped his nervousness wasn't bleeding through.

(Itachi's attempts to keep a neutral expression usually ended up looking murderous.)

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Um..."

(He wasn't quite aware of this, however.)

"If it's not too much hassle, I mean."

"N-not at all, that's fine...are you okay?"

Instead of answering, he decided to change the subject with his usual tact. "Why were you reading aloud?"

"I, um, felt awkward just, well, talking to- _her_ , you know, so I tried reading, and..."

"Talking?"

"Y-yeah, I mean, when I talk...s-she responds."

The middle of his chest felt like it was being pinched. "Really."

"I wonder...m-maybe you could...?" She reached for the book.

Itachi made a noise at the back of his throat.

"It's kinda weird, I know, but...I—I think it's a good idea. Please?"

"Alright," he said, softly.

She handed the book over to him, and he began to read aloud. His words were halting, at first, and he kept glancing between Hinata and the book, taking short, uneven breaths. Slowly, though, the tension in his frame dissipated.

As he relaxed, he moved himself closer, until their knees were touching. He stopped reading.

Their eyes met, briefly. The corner of Hinata's mouth twitched up. "You can feel for yourself, i-if you want."

Itachi looked guilty.

"I—I don't mind, really. Y-you can just ask."

"...Can I?"

( _I can?)_

She nodded.

Hesitantly, he extended his arm. A jolt of movement greeted his palm as it met her stomach. He tried to remember how to breathe.

Despite all that, though, the corners of his lips turned up a little.


	48. Day 228

**Day 228**

000

Itachi was heading up the stairs. He heard the vacuum running. So Hinata had finished packing her things. While he was changing clothes, considering taking a quick shower to get rid of the smell of the police station, the noise stopped.

Hinata was waiting near his bedroom door. "Sasuke came by earlier," she said.

"Did he?"

"He wanted to talk with you. He seemed...angry."

"My little brother is always angry." Itachi had figured that Sasuke would probably remain in a sour mood until he left his teens.

"Maybe you should see what he wants."

Well...it couldn't hurt. "Very well."

Hinata activated Byakugan for a few seconds. "He's at home, by himself. He told me he'd just returned from a mission."

"Ah. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"'Bye."

And so Itachi was standing in front of his old house, hand poised to knock at the door. He was half-tempted to simply leave, though the prospect of lying to Hinata quashed the notion. Finally, he rapped at it three times, very softly.

Sasuke opened the door, stopped for a second, and punched him.

"What the fuck did you do to Mom?!"

Itachi winced as pain flared through the side of his face. His cheekbone was going to bruise.

"I thought...you wanted to talk," Itachi said, through his teeth.

Sasuke was breathing heavily. "So. Talk."

"I used Tsuku-"

"I _know_ that!"

"I didn't really have any other options."

"Didn't you."

"She wasn't listening to reason, Sasuke. She...threatened Hinata."

Sasuke's expression flitted to anxiety for a moment. "...Y-you're lying. You have to be."

"Our mother has been the shadow ruler of the clan for years. I believe she was hoping to continue in this by getting to me through our...unborn child."

"What?"

"Surely you've seen her talking to our father."

Sasuke half-shrugged, head dipping down. His eyes were fixed on a few blades of grass nearby.

"I—I remember, when we were younger...probably around when I was recruited into ANBU..."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke mumbled.

Itachi frowned. "Remember when she would tell you to train? And her criticisms?"

"Yeah...? That's pretty normal, though."

"Threats are normal?"

"What do you mean, 'threats'?"

"She would often say something like, 'if you don't train your hardest, then bad things will happen because you're unprepared.'"

"How is that a threat?"

"Bad things would happen to your friends when you got points docked at the Academy. You never made the connection?"

"Nii-san...that's..." Sasuke was grimacing now.

"She drove away what few friends I made. She made sure that I was isolated. Friendship was a distraction from training. Especially friends made outside of the clan."

"B-but...Mom wouldn't order hits on people just to keep them away from me." Sasuke crossed his arms and pouted. "That's stupid."

Itachi snorted. He tried (and failed) to hide it behind a cough.

(He had a feeling, though, that Sasuke would be less inclined to punch him in the future.)

"What's so funny?" Sasuke scowled. _God damn it._

"Nothing, it's nothing." Itachi was trying very, very hard not to laugh.

"Nii-san..." he groaned.

Itachi, on impulse, raised a hand, stepped forward, and poked Sasuke's forehead with two fingers.

"I'll talk to you later, little brother."


	49. Day 232

**Day 232**

000

Itachi was having trouble sleeping again.

The murder investigation had ground to a halt, there was pressure from the higher ups—especially his father—to find and imprison the perpetrator in the next month, and-

Next to him, Hinata shifted in her sleep. He felt her elbow brush against him.

The process of moving her things into the master bedroom hadn't taken but a single day. Her presence in what was once solely his room was quickly wearing off its oddness, though his awareness of her dent in the mattress was only increasing.

He felt his hands and feet growing heavy, fuzzy. The stiff muscles in his neck were beginning to loosen. He let his eyes drift shut, ignoring the burn that flared up when his eyelids met.

A movement from behind jolted him into wakefulness again.

Hinata's head and the backs of her hands pressed against his back, between his shoulder blades. He felt her curling up near him, little by little. A jolt made of pins and needles radiated from that point on his back. Dimly, he wondered if she was awake. Not that it mattered.

When he next opened his eyes, it was to the blare of his alarm clock.


	50. Day 238

**Day 238**

000

Hinata pushed the seeds into the flowerbed with her knuckles. She hadn't been able to garden in awhile. The sharp smell of cut grass, the light breeze...she'd missed it.

She swept dirt over the little divets that contained the seeds, then sprinkled water over the flowerbed. Her hair had been bound in a thick ponytail at the back of her neck, though as she stood, she worked the tie loose.

She checked the clock when she stepped into the house. 5:25 p.m. Should be enough time to clean up before Itachi got home. Her pants were grass-stained, and it had been warm this afternoon.

A quick run of fingers through hair when she got upstairs was enough to decide to forgo the shower. A change of clothes, however...

She sat on the bed, pulling her grass-and-dirt stained clothes off with care. They went into the nearly-full hamper. There was a flash of worry about what would happen in a few months, whether all things mundane would be taken care of then.

There was a twist of pain in her lower back, one that would grow into a flaming sharpness if she wasn't careful. She made a trek to the bathroom, in her undergarments, and took a half-dose of pain reliever.

She eventually decided on black calf-length slacks and a loose training shirt.

In the middle of pushing her leg through her pants, the front door opened and shut. She took a (probably unnecessary) look with Byakugan. Itachi was home.

"Oh dear," she muttered.

She fumbled with the hem of her shirt, dropping it, when she heard Itachi's tired-heavy footsteps on the stairs. She had one arm through when the door opened.

 _Oh_ , was all Itachi said after a yawning pause.

Hinata was half-turned toward him. She could feel her face heating up, from her neck to her hairline. A strangled little noise rose from her throat.

(Itachi, despite his best efforts, could not stop himself from glancing at her partly exposed stomach.)

"I...uh." His hand gripped the door handle hard enough that Hinata was afraid it might snap off.

(It looked a bit out of place on her thin frame, swollen, with pink stretch-marks arcing up from the waistband of her pants.)

Hinata pulled her shirt over, covering most of the rest of her torso. "D-don't...worry about it," she mumbled.

(The movement drew his attention to the curve of her chest, almost spilling from her bra. His mouth went uncomfortably dry.)

Cheeks reddening, Itachi nodded a few times. "I think I'm. Going to go. For now."

He about-faced like a whip, shutting the door behind him with a click.


	51. Day 240

**Day 240**

000

Fugaku had to hold his tongue as Itachi stepped quietly, daintily into his office.

Itachi's hands were in his pockets, and he was leaning forward to partly cover his eyes with his bangs. He was fighting to keep a neutral expression, though his eyebrows tipped it more towards dour.

"You...wanted to talk to me?" Itachi mumbled. His gaze was fixed on Fugaku's desk lamp. _Interesting._

"Yes." Fugaku folded his hands in front of him. He still wasn't entirely sure what approach would work most effectively on Itachi. He needed to be direct without being stern. "You may want to sit down."

Itachi blanched. To his credit, though, he didn't fumble when he pulled back the wood chair to sit. Nor did his expression change.

"Uh...what did you want to talk about?" Itachi asked, in a tone that suggested he was holding very thinly to his strand of neutrality.

Fugaku was silent, mulling it over.

(Fugaku was also privately enjoying working Itachi up like this.)

Then:

"I've been meaning to ask you this for awhile, though the murder investigation obviously took precedence."

One of Itachi's eyebrows lifted up.

Fugaku decided a little bit of sternness couldn't hurt. "Do you consider yourself prepared for this undertaking?"

Itachi blanched further.

"You've been shouldered with a great responsibility that will likely affect you for the rest of your life." Here, Fugaku decided to punctuate his words with a smack to his desk.

Itachi made a noise at the back of his throat.

"And I want to know that you are going to treat this responsibility with utmost care." Fugaku took a sip of coffee.

"Itachi," he continued, "Are you prepared for fatherhood?"

He was pretty sure Itachi swayed a little.

"You..." Itachi sucked in a deep breath. "You...brought me here...for this? I thought I had been _written up._ "

(Itachi was pouting, just a little.)

Fugaku allowed himself a brief half-smile.

(Itachi hadn't made that expression since he was a child.)

Itachi had crossed his arms, and was once again attempting to fold in on himself.

He answered, finally, voice barely above a whisper."I don't know."

Fugaku considered the picture Itachi was presenting with a mind honed by decades of investigations and arrests. Itachi had been taught confidence in his abilities. A moment of doubt was often deadlier than the foes one might be facing in battle.

Of course, Itachi's expertise in combat did not translate well to more domestic spheres. And it was clear that he was also out of his depth politically. This was a failing on his part, not giving Itachi a rounded start.

However, there was a spark there, one of caring and gentleness, escaping the fog of doubt Itachi was immersed in.

(He had been afraid that Mikoto snuffed it out long ago, and kept his distance.)

Perhaps all it needed was a little kindling.

"I think you'll survive," he said. "I was in a similar position, once."

The fog was pierced. Itachi looked at him with dull, red-rimmed interest. "What?"

"I haven't always been your father, you know. And when Mikoto was pregnant with you...I was nervous, more often than not."

He took another drink of coffee. "It didn't help that she was obsessed with tracking her weight, diet, and everything else.

"But in the end...it was...frankly, I didn't know how to handle it."

"Forgive me for...finding this difficult to swallow." Itachi was sitting up now, leaning forward.

Fugaku shrugged. "I hope you've had a talk with Hinata-chan at this point."

The hesitation between his statement and Itachi's reply, a noise at the back of his throat, told Fugaku all he needed to know.

"I would suggest doing so _before_ she goes into labor." Perhaps that was a bit too stern.

Itachi was silent. He was resting his chin in one hand and staring at the floor. "Is that all you wanted?"

He took Fugaku's long quiet as reason to leave.

"One more thing," Fugaku said.

Itachi paused at the door.

"You've grown up into a fine young man. You have a good head on your shoulders." Fugaku downed the last of his coffee. "Whatever you might think, I believe you're going to make a fine father."

He was pleased to note that the color was returning to Itachi's face as he left.


	52. Day 241

**Day 241**

000

Hinata was glad that, even though it was early evening, the house seemed quiet. She had already stored away what she got on her trip to the market.

It had been a little more tiring than before. A few older women had asked to touch her stomach; of course, she politely declined. Maybe she would just take a short nap before dinner instead of reading.

(For once, she wasn't looking forward to Itachi's return home.)

(The sting of embarrassment was still strong.)

(Even though he had fumbled through an apology the next day.)

That was the most bothersome thing, getting tired earlier and earlier in the day. She still tried to keep up her normal social routines. Lunches with Hanabi, the occasional visit with Neji, and when they were in Konoha, spending the afternoon with her old team.

She started up the stairs. There were other bothersome things. All small, though one-by-one they added up. A pinch in the back, a kick in the ribs, less mobility. Yes, a nap would be nice.

She opened the bedroom door.

Itachi was asleep, looking like he had collapsed onto his side. His uniform was mostly intact. A pang of guilt shot through her, laced with even more embarrassment, and it made for a powerful cocktail.

Her first instinct was to leave quietly, though she couldn't force her feet to move.

Itachi's face was soft, unguarded, all the waking sharpness and tension melted away. A few strands of hair moved with his breath, the rest encircling his head like a window.

When Hinata moved, finally, it was to step forward.

His flak jacket was still on. She wasn't going to try to remove it, no, but like his ANBU mask, it was probably restricting his breathing a bit.

(Unlike ANBU, however, the police work was not draining his chakra.)

She crawled onto the bed, and gently tried to shift his arm in order to unzip his flak jacket. His hand, as she was expecting, took hold of her wrist with combat-honed reflexes.

She was not expecting him to wake up.

Her whispered apology died on her lips as his eyes opened. They both went very still. Itachi blinked a few times, eyes hooded. He parted his lips, gaze seeming to focus on his own hand, the one holding her wrist.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Doing...what?"

He let go of her wrist and sat up. There was a look of intent concentration on his face for a few seconds.

"... _This_ ," he said again. "You...didn't have to do any of this. But you did."

Hinata sat down hard. _Oh._

He moved closer. "What compelled you to...to go through with _this_?" He pressed his hands to the hard curve of her stomach. "With so little complaint? Thanklessly? Why?"

"...Duty. At first," she said, weakly. The center of her chest felt tight and warm. "I...I think, at the beginning, the only thing was...the thought that I was serving the greater good."

She swallowed, looking not at her own hands clasped near her chest, but at Itachi's. "But...I wasn't expecting you to be so kind."

( _Kind._ )

Itachi's hands moved up to her arms, and then she was pulled into an embrace, her cheek against his shoulder.

"...Thank you," he said.

Slowly, Hinata allowed her eyes to drift shut, and her hands to meet at his back.


	53. Day 246

**Day 246**

000

They were eating supper. Itachi picked at his food here and there, though he seemed less ill and more...distracted. Tired.

Come to think of it, he _had_ left a pile of folders on the front room table. And with the way he'd been working the past few weeks... _Should I say something?_

He was having trouble picking up the red pepper with his chopsticks. The slivers of vegetable would slip out before reaching his didn't seem to care terribly much, eventually setting down his chopsticks in favor of spooning up miso soup.

Hinata took a deep breath. Instead of exhaling, words tumbled out.

"P-please take a break." She shoved her next bite of food into her mouth with too much force. Her face was already heating up. _I shouldn't have said that._

Itachi jerked his head upright, looking directly at her. "Come again?"

Somehow, she managed to not choke on her food as she swallowed. "Um...nevermind."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I just—I mean-" Hinata wracked her brain for the right phrase. "You're overworking yourself."

He stirred the soup. "I..." He sighed. "There's a great deal of pressure on me."

"But," she said, steeling herself, "Your working like this...is...not just affecting you."

Itachi looked away. His brow was knit together.

As the silence grew more and more unbearable, Hinata's shoulders wilted. She set her chopsticks down and took a sip of tea, and folded her hands in her lap. Itachi had not moved.

(Did he understand? Or did he understand, and decide to go on anyway?)

(What was eating at him?)

When Itachi looked up again, his gaze remained fixed on _her_.

He stood, and, bending over, began to stack the empty dishes into a pile.

"I-Itachi?"

He picked them up, walking into the kitchen. She activated Byakugan when she heard a loud clattering noise, but the dishes were piled neatly in the sink. Itachi reached over to the faucet, paused before his fingertips touched the spigot, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed back.

She made sure to deactivate it before he returned.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, then said, "Can we...take a walk?"

Hinata felt anxiety pooling in her chest, but eventually nodded. The pool only deepened as they pulled on their shoes and left the house.

Their walk was quiet until they were out of the Uchiha compound. Itachi was staring at his feet. Hinata attempted to look straight ahead, but stole glances at him regardless.

"You're right. That was...selfish of me," he said.

Her anxiety did not so much drain as it was flooded from her system.

He continued on, walking faster now. "I think the investigation will survive without me for a day. And I will try to avoid overtime. More importantly..."

He stopped. "I'm...sorry."

Relief welled up in the place of anxiety. She hugged him from the side, dodging his arm, pressing her face into his chest.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for my updates sort of being all over the place! I'm not used to crossposting my fic over to AO3, coupled with previously dealing with a really busy school schedule...yeah. |D 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments/kudos/bookmarks so far! <3


	54. Day 250

**Day 250**

000

"Hinata," Itachi said, "I have some things I wish to discuss."

"Yes?" Hinata stopped cutting stems and looked up from her work at her desk.

"I feel that...we haven't been preparing adequately. For the child." Itachi sorted through the stack of items in his head, trying to take hold of what had seemed so clear in his mind before.

She set down her clippers and the lilac. The flowers for today were an assortment of heavily sweet violets and pinks."...Probably not, no..."

"I suppose the first matter to be dealt with would be th—her room?"

She pressed her index finger to her chin, turning towards him. "Well...we could move the bed to a corner, and that would make room for a...crib..."

"We should also focus on making this, er, house safe f-"

She covered her mouth, failing to stifle the giggle that came out. "Itachi...it's just a baby," she said, through the tittering. "It...it'll be alright."

"I don't like leaving things...up in the air like this." He sat on the bed.

"Well. There's one thing you won't need to," she said. She turned the chair in order to face him fully. "After some—a lot of thinking...I have a name. Hikage."

"Hikage..." _Bright shadow_. "I'd had some ideas of my own...Frankly, none of them seemed to, ah, fit."

She curled one hand around her stomach. "It's...so _weird_ ," she said, at last.

A delicate, lacy quiet settled over the room. The name, _Hikage,_ turned itself over among the others he had been considering. And the gear was stuck.


	55. Day 257

**Day 257**

000

Itachi was on his hands and knees. He had pushed the sofa at an angle. Near him, in a pile of plastic and screws, was a screwdriver. And in his free hand was a plastic outlet cover. He was attempting to install the first of several important new additions to the house.

When he got the first screw tightened, he heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like Hinata's footsteps. He froze.

"Itachi," she said, faintly.

He shot up to a standing position, but in his haste stumbled against the end table. He leaned heavily against it. "Hello."

"What are you doing?"

Her hands were behind her back, probably folded. She was wearing sleeping clothes with a light jacket thrown over it, and her hair was tied back.

Itachi froze, still leaning. "I'm...taking security measures."

"Behind the sofa?"

Even though his face couldn't catch fire, it certainly felt like it. "...Yeah."

"Is that..." She squinted at the space he'd previously occupied for a moment. "...An outlet cover?"

Itachi's mind went blank. Hinata smiled a little, though a moment later her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. She lifted a hand and rubbed at her back.

He finally snapped out of his stupor. "Perhaps."

"I'd help...but," she said, "I don't think I could reach it."

"It's—it's fine." (Hinata was barely hiding a wince.) "Back pain?"

"Actually, Hi-Hikage's kicking my side."

"Hm." He paused, considered. "I suppose that's...not entirely bad."

(Her face lit up in a way he hadn't seen before.)

"Oh, no, it's good that-" She stopped.

"What."

"I didn't know you were interested in this sort of thing." She blushed. "But, um, yes, she's been more active."

Itachi took a few steps forward, lifting his hand as if gesturing.

"...Can I?" he said, very softly.

Hinata guided his hand over to her right side. "I'm not sure if you'll feel anything..."

"It doesn't really—ah." Instead of a gentle flutter, he had felt a brief, but solid, thud.

(Responding to his voice.)

"...I-I felt that, too." Hinata winced, then smiled. "I think...I'm going back to bed."

"Mhm."

(He had momentarily forgotten what he was doing with the pile of plastic and hardware.)

(Suddenly, the end of June seemed much less frightening than before.)


	56. Day 260

**Day 260**

000

Itachi was not expecting to see his mother when the front door of his childhood home cracked open. The shockwaves of cold fear ran all the way through to his feet, and rooted him to the spot. Mikoto's greeting went unheard.

"...Is Sasuke here?"

"In a moment." The door opened fully. "Come in."

Mikoto was wearing a gray yukata, the clan symbol visible near the collar. Her hair was loose.

She wasn't the only thing that had changed since the last time he had been here. There was a different table by the window, and another bookshelf. There were only three places set for supper. He slipped his shoes off and stood uncertainly at the threshold.

"Sasuke can wait, I'm sure." She gestured at a tray sitting on an endtable by the sofa. "Tea?"

"No thank you."

"Very well." She sat down. "How's Hinata-chan?"

Itachi walked over to the chair Fugaku used to sit in during family talks, and perched on the edge of it. "Fine."

"...For awhile, I didn't think you had the strength needed to bring the clan to greatness," she said. She lifted a cup off the tray and took a sip.

"Say it, then." _Get it over with._

"However, that display of the Mangekyou...I was pleasantly surprised. It revealed a spark I didn't think you had."

Her hands were folded in her lap. Her expression was neutral. There was nothing to be afraid of. But the pit of anger evaporated, a heavy stone dropped into his stomach, and the tension in his neck tripled. He swallowed.

"The next time you cast that genjutsu, it would be wise to exercise discretion."

(He was ten again, and had just been promoted to chuunin, and being reprimanded again.)

(Mikoto was unpleasable. Something was always wrong. His form was off. He wasn't performing katas neatly enough. His best was never going to warrant a passing grade.)

(Here, though, he had let his anger get the better of him, and lashed out the only way he knew how. And being _praised._ )

"Nii-san."

"Sasuke."

Sasuke was leaning against the wall. "Mom said you wanted me for something?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let's go."

Before Itachi had a chance to explain, Sasuke was out the door. He had no choice but to follow.


	57. Day 267

Day 267

000

Hinata was slouched on the sofa, half asleep. The book splayed over her thigh had been forgotten awhile ago. Had Itachi come home yet? He must have. Incense was burning.

Half-heard but mostly felt, a weight settled in next to her. She cracked her eyes open enough to confirm Itachi's presence, then allowed her head to loll back again. His weight moved closer to her, and then their legs touched. A whispered "can I," his hand resting on her stomach.

Their daily exchange of pleasantries was barely audible. Through the fog of near-sleep, though, something burst through her mind like a laser. Her eyes snapped open.

"Itachi," she said, and then swallowed away some of the dry in her throat. "I've been wondering...what sort of eyes Hikage might have."

Itachi shifted a little. "I don't consider it particularly important."

She blushed. "I guess not."

"There's...a lot of stress. Having a bloodline."

"And...being part of a clan?"

He looked at her, eyebrows raised slightly. "Yes."

"And, and you don't want to add to that."

"I don't, no." His tone held something like a pleasant and unexpected shock.

She was smiling. She pressed her hand gently over his. There was another thought flitting about, somewhere, but it did not possess such laser precision.

(It was like a sleepy moth, pale silver, fluttering from point of light to point of light.)

Were they getting closer? She considered the distance between their shoulders against the seat's back. There was barely a sliver of fabric to divide them. And Itachi's smile, barely there.

The fog of sleep curled around her again, and she let her head fall back, and she drifted off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! I decided to take a bit to reassess my reasons for writing this and also I'm a busy student with a ~~cute boyfriend~~ to distract me! I probably won't stick with any sort of schedule thing anymore since it was a coping device for a thing that I've since moved on from.
> 
> Either way, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Val


	58. Day 272

**Day 272**

000

Itachi came home to a coffee table lined with handwritten notes and books on politics. Hinata, sitting on the floor, was jotting something down in the margins of another book. He slipped off his shoes and knelt down next to her.

"Oh!" She slammed the book shut. "How was work?"

He glanced at the title.  _Historical Relations of Wind and Fire._

"Tolerable. We might have a lead that doesn't have a dead end." He looked up and turned to her. "And...you?"

"I'm okay." She smiled. "Doing some reading."

"Ah."

She blushed and leaned forward, hair partly hiding her face. "I don't really want to be an Academy instructor."

Itachi found himself resisting the urge to sweep her hair back with one hand. He shoved his hands into his pockets instead. They were clammy.

"What would you want to be instead?"

"My father had been instructing me about...negotiating." She shrugged. "M-maybe I could be a diplomat—or ambassador?"

Hinata flipped her hair back, only to twist a section of it into her fingers. "Not that I'd do that  _now_!"

He half smiled. "That's an excellent idea."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide.

He shrugged and crossed his arms. "I'm...unprepared at best to head the clan."

She looked thoughtful. "I can help..."

Then she braced herself against the sofa and stood up. She winced, rubbed her back. "Later, though."

"Alright. I've got a few years before my father retires."

His eyes followed her hands as she gathered her books and notes.

_A few years._  It occurred to him not that he was in a kind of stasis, but that this stasis would have to end. In a month.

In the paper shuffle, Hinata's pencil fell to the floor. Before she could bend down and brab it, he picked it up and held it out to her.

"Thank you!"

They both lingered a few seconds too long before resuming their evening routine.


	59. Day 279

**Day 279**

000

Hinata was trying to avoid tossing and turning. She had already gotten up twice, and Itachi was a light sleeper. She hissed. Another kick to the ribs. If not for the fact that Hikage was heavy and her back was hurting, she would have flipped over. Instead, she curled up on her side.

Vaguely, she wondered if this was what back labor felt like. She doubted it. Nothing felt unusually tense, no liquid dripping down her leg. She swallowed and drew herself further into a ball.

Itachi stirred next to her. She felt his weight shift closer, a hand move her hair aside, and then his breath and body heat were radiating into her. Her shoulders grew more tense.

"You alright?" he whispered.

Hikage kicked again. A whimper came out instead of quiet confirmation.

"It's always at night," he mumbled, a note of worry lingering between them both. "Need anything?"

"Um..." There was another kick, a gasp. Itachi's hand began stroking down her back, finally settling into small circles in the spot where Hikage had been moving. "This—this is okay."

(The line between needs and wants was fine, and in a month the baby would  _need_  to come out anyway.)

(Once, she would have resorted to desperate measures to avoid her current situation. She would have run away, or tried to. Imbibed an herb. Taken on a dangerous mission.)

(Partly, she'd simply acclimated to her environment. Partly, Itachi had proven far kinder and far warmer than her first impressions.)

At some point, she snapped awake from a nonsense dream. Itachi's hand was draped over her stomach. His forehead was pressed against her neck. He was breathing sleep slow. On the end table, she could see in the moonlight a glass of water and half of a pill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that, IRL shit overtook me for a couple months. Mostly just school and trying out different psychiatric meds (an SSRI f'd me up badly)
> 
> I should be okay for now! On buspirone HCL and it's at least not giving me nasty side effects!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	60. Day 282

**Day 282**

 

000

“Um. Hello.” Itachi's voice was the voice of a man who felt very crumbly and awkward.

Hinata, reclined on the sofa, stifled a giggle. She had finally managed to convince him to try directly speaking to Hikage after a few weeks of touching her belly when talking. His trembling hand was at his side, in his pocket, nowhere near her.

She wanted to reach for it.

“Itachi...”

He glanced up at her. Even when stressed, his face usually kept itself in a placid mask. Here, his brows were closing in on each other with worry.

After holding her gaze for awhile, he said: “I...this is...different.”

He swallowed and pulled himself onto the seat next to her. “When I was young, and Sasuke hadn't been born yet, my mother allowed no one but the specialists to touch her. Not even family."

“...I see,” she said. Softly, she added, “Can I show you something?”

“Of course.”

“Give me your hand, please.”

Silently, he placed his hand into Hinata's waiting palm. She felt the clamminess, the stick of sweat. She turned it towards her and flattened it against herself.

“This is what's missing,” she whispered. “Try now.”

(His hand was not swatted away like in childhood. In fact, just the opposite.)

Itachi could feel the vague—vague due to the fact that a uterus only has so much space, according to the books—movements of Hikage beneath his touch.

It was that first night he could feel the fetal movement again: shock, fascination. A pang.

His voice was hesitant at first, stumbling through a series of smalltalk topics. The movements beneath his hand began to happen in response to him, and suddenly he was going through the humdrum of work, the tedium of cataloging evidence.

In the meantime, Hinata quietly waited for him to finish rambling. She smiled and stroked her thumb over the back of his hand.

“She can hear you.”


	61. Day 287

**Day 287**

000

Hinata woke up when the bedroom door slammed shut.

She dimly remembered opening the window, but her eyes saw Itachi stalking around, half dressed. He tossed his work shirt behind him, and for a few moments she saw the ANBU tattoo on his left arm. It was covered up by the clean shirt he put on. He had to know by now that she was awake, surely.

"Did something happen?" she mumbled.

Itachi froze for a second. It was difficult to tell, but she thought she saw him flush. "Ah."

He immediately returned to pacing around.  _Something_  had to have happened at work because he was making an expression somewhere between cold fury and spoiled fruit.

(Usually work was "fine," with a blandness that suggested it barely registered on Itachi's emotional scale. If Hinata was up, he would talk about the minutiae of evidence-gathering, hand on stomach.)

She swung her legs to the floor and stretched her hands up. She must have made a noise. Itachi stopped pacing and just watched. The anger drained from his face. He sat down next to her when she finished.

"Sorry for waking you up," he said, looking at her. "I just..."

"It's fine. I—I figured it was classified if you're not..." She was looking back. "...you know."

"...Yeah," he breathed.

He was still looking. There was something like wonder in his eyes. He was looking at  _her_. Their foreheads met in a waft of breath. The deep brown-black of his eyes were entrancing. Her eyes were bright like moons.

And then a kick brought her into a pained whimper. She jerked away from him and rubbed at her back. At some point her forehead found its way into Itachi's shoulder, where it stayed.

"How long again?" he asked.

"Um...four weeks...?"

(Really, it could be at any time. This fact went unsaid.)

"That soon?" A large gap of consideration. "Hm."

"I should have a plan, shouldn't I?" she mumbled, lifting her head back up. She was trying not to cry. "I'm not prepared at all."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "We can figure it out."

 


	62. Day 290

**Day 290**

000

Hinata tucked the last of her hospital stay kit into her bag and drew the zipper closed.

She could hear the odd clack of wood on wood from the next room. Itachi was probably planning to surprise her with it, but he was certainly assembling a DIY crib; she'd glanced at him with Byakugan for a few seconds when she heard the first clatter.

There was a small, private smile creeping along her lips as she stepped downstairs to tuck the bag in a corner. Just as she turned around to go back upstairs, Itachi reached the foot.

(Sometimes he felt like he was circling some kind of drain, and Hinata rested at the center.)

"Want to take a walk?" he asked, blandly. "I wanted to pick up a few things at the market."

In truth, he wanted to talk with her outside the house. He wanted...he wasn't sure. Images of a younger Hinata, half fabricated surely, sparring with her genin team on a sunny day flitted through his mind. The grass-stain on her knees as she knelt to tend a flowerbed a few years ago. Eschewing a team combat mission to pull weeds for a nobleman. Pink fingertips.

(He enjoyed the way trees dappled sunlight on her hair.)

She sucked at her bottom lip, eyes turned upward. Itachi's throat went dry with anticipation. She made the hands-up-palms-forward 'wait here' gesture, then dashed off to a back room. She came back with a blue plastic basket and handed it to him.

"That sounds nice."

She was halfway out the door before he remembered to put on his shoes.

In the end, Hinata did most of the shopping. Itachi was clueless about food.

 


	63. Day 300

**Day 300**

000

Itachi rolled over in bed. The sheet followed, almost sliding off his legs. He half expected his hand to be met with Hinata's back, though she had probably gotten up awhile ago.

When he finally dragged himself downstairs for a cup of tea, almost at noon, he was greeted with Hinata flitting around the kitchen, hair tied back in a loose bun. There were several large plastic containers of rice, fish, vegetables, noodles, and miso broth. There was a pot of water heating up on the stove, though its purpose escaped him.

"Morning," she said. "I couldn't sleep earlier, so-"

"-You...prepared enough food for a week?" He rubbed his eyes.

"It's...for, you know..." she mumbled. "And after."

"Ah."

He edged around her as he went through his morning routine, deftly pulling a teacup from a high shelf. More often than not, mentioning the hospital sent him into a fit of nerves. Maybe he wasn't awake enough for it to register, or maybe something had clicked in his mind to grant him a piece of calm.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked. "You seemed tired last night."

"I suppose." He set a pot of water on an open burner, then turned on the heat. "...Are you sleeping well?

She dumped some vegetables and noodles into the water. "Not really..." She turned, looked at him. "I've been managing. It's okay."

"Is there anything I can help with?" he asked, unsure how to respond. He gestured at the counter top.

"I'm almost finished. You can...um..." She started twisting her hands together. "Wash dishes? When you're ready, of course, I-"

"Yeah." He glanced at the pot, then tossed in loose green tea leaves, smiling a little. "No problem."

"Could you, um, get the lids?" she said. She pointed at a drawer near the floor.

He did so, grabbing a mesh strainer for the tea for himself. Perhaps he'd burn some incense today. The weather was breezy and begged for an open window. Hinata's hiss of pain snapped him out of tranquility. She held her fingertip between her lips as she adjusted the stove temperature.

"What happened?"

"It boiled over..." She looked her hand over. "I don't think I got burned."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait on this one! IRL stuff, mental illness, etc.
> 
> Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments!


	64. Day 304, part 1

_4:30 a.m._

It began with a wave of pain at her pelvis. Nothing worth alarm. Nothing particularly sharp or intense, but tight. However, it woke her up, and refused to subside no matter how she positioned herself. Sometimes it happened: a set of false contractions.

Another one began a half hour later as she was drifting back off. This was new. She stretched up her neck to glance at the clock.

_5:30 a.m._

With a huff, she flopped back. Great timing, she thought, and managed to go back to sleep for a bit.

_7:30 a.m._

She woke with a gasp. Itachi smacked the clock off.

"You alright?"

For a moment, she couldn't think of anything except the weak early sunlight glinting off his eyes. The smooth line of his jaw interrupted by a bare hint of overnight stubble. It would feel like the finest sandpaper were she to touch it.

(Great timing, she thought.)

The beginning of another contraction prompted her. "I...could be in labor," she whispered. She felt oddly calm.

To Itachi's credit, his eyes didn't widen that much. She activated Byakugan and took a look at Hikage's chakra network. From a scientific viewpoint, being able to observe its formation in comparison to her own was fascinating. The glowing spidersilk lines of Hikage's chakra had definitely separated some, sitting low against her hips, head pressing down.

"I can call off, if you want." He brushed his knuckles over her stomach.

"It's going to be a few hours before I know for sure..."

Anticipation seemed to have a use only in combat; restlessness was unwelcome during a time when every single doctor she'd visited told her rest was critical.

"I need to take a walk," she said, already swinging her legs around.

"Be careful," he mumbled.

_8:45 a.m._

She walked a few laps around the outside of the house, then checked up on her budding garden. It felt better. She could take a nap, or fuss with another attempt at knitting, or...or something. It was hard to think clearly. Perhaps she would shower.

_10:00 a.m._

She curled up on the couch at last. Her hair was tied back in a loose knot, still damp. She had decided to wear a light blue summer dress. Itachi entered from the kitchen. He was not in uniform.

"I thought you would be working?"

He shrugged. His crouch was a fluid swooping motion. He jittered on the balls of his feet. She could see the concern on his face. "This is more important."

Sharp breath, stiff back. Hikage shifted and pressed  _hard_ against her ribs. Hinata bit her lip. She tried to breathe.

It burst out, like a dam crumbling. "I'm not ready for this!" Her chest was hot and thick. "I'm not—I-" She clamped her hands over her face.

She heard Itachi kneel properly more than saw it. His hand cupped her shoulder for a few seconds, then his arm curled around her back. A light thud—his head resting on the arm of the couch. His breath had a hitch.

Very gently, his free hand pulled her hands away. She was shaking. She didn't want to cry.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" he whispered. He sounded like he was forcing it out.

She shook her head.

"Do you want me to put you to sleep with Sharingan for a bit?"

Shrug.

He began running his thumb over her knuckles, something brittle on the edge of his voice. "I can get you some tea."

Nod.

When he came back, she'd managed to almost sit up. He placed the teacup on the table and sat next to her.

"T-thank you," she mumbled as she scooped it up. A few sips, and it was back on the table.

She leaned into him during the next contraction.

_10:30 a.m._

"Let me know what you want to do," he'd said into her hair.

Afew more contractions passed, and with each one, Hinata found herself trying to burrow more deeply into Itachi's side. They were becoming more frequent, and painful. She pried herself away from him after one subsided.

"Let's—um-let's go."

"Go." Whatever amount of calm he had projected vanished for a split second.

"Y-yeah. I need to-"

She took a few wobbly steps towards the bag in the corner. Then faltered.

(Years of training lectures flooded through her. This, and this, and this, all wrong. Too cautious, you hesitated there, let's take a break, then.)

"Let me get that," Itachi said, already picking the bag up.

(You should rest, the doctor was saying, flipping through some charts. I'm sure your husband won't mind picking up some slack.)

Those first few tears scalded her cheeks. The ground drew closer, and closer, and then his arms were around her and holding her up and she was soaking his shirt between hiccups and sobs. Another contraction hit as this subsided, the most intense by far.

"Do you want to walk there?" he said, voice unsteady. "Or should I..."

"I-I don't know."  _I want it to stop_ , she wanted to say.

"It's your decision." And he simply waited.

"I don't feel...u-up to it...I guess," she mumbled.

That was how Itachi ended up carrying her to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the gap in updates! school mostly. I'm taking 2 classes that require a lot of writing so it's been hard to find the time to write my own stuff. If you go to medium.com/@teensith you can find a couple assignments from my flash fiction class that i uploaded!!


	65. Day 304, part 2

**Day 304, part 2**

 

000

  _waiting room_

  
“I thought I'd find you here,” Fugaku said. 

Itachi had been _not_ reading a newspaper to pass the time. He jumped. The lukewarm tea in his hand nearly spilled.

“Why are _you_ here?” His voice stabbed its way through the murk. It was unintentional. It felt better to be angry. It stayed the tremble in his hand. His brain stopped going over the emergency escape routes for a few seconds.

Shrug. “Just checking in. You didn't show up to work. Quite a few would.”

He sat down next to Itachi on the bank of empty chairs, between tables loaded with magazines and pamphlets. He was still in uniform. The carpet was pale blue, tinted gray by years of use.

“Forgot to drop by.”

“Understandable.” He reached over and dropped a hand on Itachi's shoulder. “The first is the hardest.”

_hallway_  
  
While the room number was embedded in his mind like a splinter, Itachi still checked the card and name on each door in the maternity wing. He paused as he stood in front of Hinata's, staring at the “Uchiha” there.

(Fugaku had to return to the station after walking him partway there, giving him a talk along the way.)

(Among other things, there was the story of his own birth.)

He could hear a nurse's muffled voice, Hinata's voice, and some footsteps. The ring of metal on metal. He was unsure of imposing, so instead he tracked the movement, from bed to window and back. The window was open, said the sliding noise.

He stepped out of the way and let the nurse pass. She nodded at him.

_room_

They stood at Hinata's bedside, in front of the window. It struck Itachi that her eyes were pearls. She was no longer wearing the light summer dress, but a hospital gown. She looked small, like it would swallow her with its pastel patterns.

“I'm glad you're here,” she said. A minute smile. Whispered: “I'm sorry about earlier.”

(Itachi barely heard his own voice over the feeling of his chest being squeezed by a vise.)

He wrapped his arms around her. Hiss, squeeze. The suck of air and the shaky exhale. Contraction. The walls bent and swayed while he forgot where he was.

_bedside_

He watched the medical personnel. The tile floor. A metal railing. The window sill. Silk flowers.

(The smell of Hinata's shampoo and sweat. Antiseptic. Flowers on the breeze. Stale air. Latex.)

The sun's heat on his leg. Hinata's death grip on his hand. A/C at full blast. The lump in his throat. A crack in the seat of the chair.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

They encouraged her to push, and she barely made a sound. He couldn't help her.

_cart_

He'd done some covert reading on what to expect, but the thing in a metal bowl, being rolled around in a steel cart. That thing.

(The entire room was already pungent with blood, amniotic fluid, sweat, and other excrement.)

He knew what a placenta was. Sometimes it was called the afterbirth, and sometimes babies were delivered without it rupturing. It was rumored that other cultures consumed parts of it. He stared at the placenta that had just come out of Hinata's body.

He'd lost track of everything else in the flurry of personnel, and the cart was right in front of him. So he had peeked over the rim.

It was raw, heavily compacted meat, with big swaths of white tissue striping across it. Blood had pooled underneath it, mixed with a small amount of a different fluid. The clots were almost black in places. It stank of iron.

He knew what a placenta was.

_bedside_

The world snapped back into focus when a small, white bundle was placed against Hinata's chest. She seemed exhausted—more than exhausted—but she still lifted her head and planted a kiss against it. She might have whispered something inaudible

Not _it._ The syllables floated sweetly through his mind. _Hikage._ A sharp warmth settled into his chest. It sank into his bones, sweeping away the leftover cobwebs of anxiety like a sigh.

Hinata glanced up and smiled.

“Do you want to hold her?” she whispered.

He cradled the bundle in his arm like spun glass. He traced around a small, pink, pinched face with a shaking fingertip. _Hikage._ It was like a spell of dripping honey.

She made a small noise, and one of her eyes cracked open. Gray. Bright, glimmering gray.

“Oh, wow,” Itachi said.

And then he couldn't see through the tears.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and you get to cry, and you get to cry, and you. EVERYBODY CRIES THIS CHAPTER


	66. Day 311

**Day 311**

000

Sakura watched the sea of shadow clones ebb and flow around Kakashi. She'd long ago figured out where the real Naruto was. Sasuke sat next to her on the tree branch. He wasn't paying close attention (not that he did anyway). She was unsure if he had even glanced at the sparring match at all.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said, trying to sound gentle. He was always like a dry twig waiting to snap, and this was probably not an exception.

When he finally looked at her, he seemed to be in a trance. "I don't know him anymore."

"Who?"

He puffed up like an agitated bird. "Itachi."

"Uh..." She bit her lip. "Don't you think you sh-"

Too late.

"It's that stupid fucking  _baby_  taking up all his free time!" The floodgates had opened. "He keeps saying he's going to help me train, but  _no._  That doesn't happen. He doesn't even say he's sorry anymore. Babies aren't even cute. They just sit there and cry and need their dumb diapers changed!"

At this point, Naruto and Kakashi had finished their sparring match and gathered to watch. Sasuke's Sharingan activated.

"I even saw him  _Smile._  I saw Itachi. Smiling."

"Um..."

"Sakura," he said, grabbing her shoulders. He shook them a little. "Itachi. Smiled. Openly."

"It's his, Sasuke-kun. She's your niece."

"She's stupid." He crossed his arms and glared at the ground below. He amended his statement. " _Babies_  are stupid."


	67. Day 318

**Day 318**

000

The trip to the market was something Hinata hadn't really understood she needed until they stepped in front of the first stall. Hikage stirred in the sling at the crowd's noises. Like leaves on a river, they joined the throng.

Itachi was carrying the basket. He paid little mind to the people around him, simply leaning or sidling as needed, almost unconsciously. Hinata stopped by a stall full of racks of dried herbs and looked at the bulbs of garlic and ginger root. She turned them over in her hand several times before she plucked a few of each from the twine loops.

The older woman running the stall took her coins, and into the basket the food went. The trip passed amicably in this manner for awhile, punctuated by conversation.

"Hikage's beginning to fuss," she mumbled. She idly twirled a wisp of black hair around one finger.

She walked to the nearest shaded bench and sat down. Itachi followed and sat next to her.

He leaned over. "What's wrong?"

She watched Hikage's mouth and movements closely, but couldn't draw any conclusions. "I'm not sure..."

"Could I hold her for a bit?"

Itachi's sudden closeness, feeling his breath near her face and neck, caused her to whip her head around. She caught the beginnings of a smile before he schooled his expression back into neutrality. She giggled, a thrill bubbling up into her throat.

"Of course. Do you want the sling?"

"Not really. I think the heat might be getting to her."

(Itachi was not yet comfortable admitting it, but he did not get to hold Hikage nearly as often as he wished.)

He scooped her out of the sling and held her with her head supported by his shoulder. She made a small cooing noise. He made no effort to hide the smile this time.

"Maybe we should stop for lunch," he murmured. He was preoccupied, however.

She imagined him sitting across from her, Hikage perhaps in her lap or perhaps being watched elsewhere, over a meal at the cafe down the street; their hands would brush and linger upon each other as dishes were passed around. In its own way, this trip was sort of date-like.

Itachi was looking at the dappled sunlight on the ground. His bangs hid some of his face, but not the smile. She hid her own with the process of rearranging the sling and food basket.

Her heart leapt and flipped over itself as she spoke. "A lunch date might be nice..."

Itachi spent several embarrassing seconds trying not to drop the baby. He cleared his throat. He had not prepared for this. His mouth hung open as he watched Hinata's smile turn brittle.

(Though, really, he had longed for far more than a vaguely romantic lunch date in private.)

"Was I—was I too forward?" Her fingertips covered her mouth. "Oh, no...I—I'm sorry, I'm-"

"N-no! No." He reached out and touched her shoulder with his free hand. He looked directly into her eyes. "A lunch date would be lovely."

A bit of sunlight caught her hair, turning its calm slate blue into something like the churning waters of the lake in the complex. "Really?" she whispered, fingers curling up.

His thumb drew gentle circles on her shoulder. He nodded. He didn't trust himself with words.

(That, and Hikage was finally asleep again.)

Hinata did a lot of glancing and giggling as they wrapped up their errands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry for the wait! I had a pretty rough time early in my summer vacation -n- 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! If anything's wonky it's because I edited it after pulling an all-nighter, whoops!
> 
> -Val


	68. Day 319

**Day 319**

000

Hinata sat on the raised front porch. Hikage was asleep in the crook of her arm. Her feet were lazy pendulums in the early evening sun.

Hikage was already shaping up to be more in line with the typical Uchiha than the typical Hyuga, appearance wise. It was enough of a concern that, a few days after she was brought home, they had a discussion. If she developed Sharingan, or at least developed the opaque brown-black eyes that indicated the possibility, a large number of people would be vying to "train" her.

Itachi had taken the time to talk about how it worked, and reassured Hinata that the eye coloration was always there from the beginning, the medium gray could never go red. She would avoid the fate of many Uchiha children, pushed quite early into training regimens in attempts to awaken Sharingan.

Because Itachi was so immediately talented, Konoha enacted a policy to prevent even the most prodigious children from graduating before the age of twelve, including mandatory courses at the Academy.

He explained how all the most important people in the village and clans were highly interested in using him as a prop for power. How his own parents pushed him into carrying out secret missions he never wanted to complete.

(He had added, in a threadbare whisper, how relieved he had been at being dropped from ANBU's roster.)

All that, for the good of the clan.

She wanted to keep Hikage as far away from clan business as she could, for as long as she could. She kissed the soft tuft of black hair.

000

Itachi's shadow reached her feet. "Hey."

He eased himself down next to her instead of going indoors. He smelled like woodsmoke and dirt. His ponytail was beginning to fall apart.

"Anything interesting happen today?"

"I had to scrub a fire pit for evidence." He brushed some soot off his knee. "It was...not clean."

She stifled a laugh. "Did you find any?"

A sigh. "No." He glanced over and the corner of his mouth twitched. "She sleeps a lot."

Hikage changed hands. She stirred, wiggled a bit, and went back to sleep with barely a noise as Itachi shifted around to accommodate her. The fire pit smell was of no consequence, apparently.

"Yeah," Hinata said. "I feel bad for waking her sometimes."

Silence.

Then the urge, sudden and strong, to pull his hair tie completely apart and let his hair fall loose. She folded her hands primly into her lap. She had responsibilities...no clue how he would react...but he did seem to reciprocate, at least a small amount.

She stared at her shoe, the one barely hanging from her toes.

"Are you alright?" he murmured.

She snapped her head back up, startled. "Um." The concern on his face was left unmasked.

He was sliding closer. Her hands unfurled. There was something like a bloom in her chest, dense and throbbing. He made a small throat-noise, a sigh. His hand ghosted over her shoulders, but did not press. She edged forward.

Their mouths met in soft, gentle warmth. No tongue, no feeling like her lips were being smashed into her teeth. She basked in it like it was a sunbeam. Her shoe dropped into the grass below when she remembered to kiss back.

Itachi jerked away. "I-Sorry-" His cheeks were pink. "I didn't mean-"

"...Wow," she breathed. "Don't apologize."

He took a deep breath and a long exhale. A smile curled up like smoke. "Maybe...we should talk about that date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write something different initially but it just, um, happened. I love it. Thanks every1 for reading my fic!! I've been bad about replying to comments lately but I read every single one!! <3


	69. Day 325

When Itachi got back from an emergency call-in, around noon, he found Hinata curled up in bed, newly shoulder-length hair cutting an even line across the pillow. Before anything else, he went to the baby's room and checked up on Hikage.

(Asleep, of course. He rearranged her blankets and brushed her face with two fingers. He almost didn't want to leave.)

After he came back to their room, he discarded his vest and sash and carefully laid down next to Hinata. The ends of her hair tickled his face, but she did not stir beyond compressing into a tighter ball. She was awake, if only just. He held his silence and watched the motion of her breathing.

Finally, a sigh. She unfurled and turned over. “Sorry,” she breathed.

Her expression was a mixture of guilt, anxiety, and embarrassment. Itachi didn't know what she could have thought or done to warrant an apology.

“...For?”

“I...watched you.” Shrug. “You fixed the blankets.”

(She had _watched_ him and other people so many times before, with Byakugan. It was the norm for Hyugas.)

“I don't see a problem.” He slotted a hand under her elbow, gently stroking his thumb back and forth against her shirt. “Really.”

She didn't look at him, but her own hand splayed out in front of her. Over the course of the next few minutes, it tensed and flattened twice, in rhythm with her Byakugan. She was so quiet.

“What's wrong?” Itachi whispered, finally. “Did something happen?”

He wanted nothing more than to pull her into an embrace, but he could feel how stiff and tight her back muscles were, the tension in her expression.

“I don't know,” she whimpered. “I—I don't think so? 

(There were purplish circles under her eyes, he realized.)

“Have you...slept? At all?” He wrapped his arm around her, but did not pull.

As they usually did, the words burst out of her. “I just...I keep. Thinking. What if something goes wrong?” Her eyes squeezed shut. “T-then I can't.”

“Would it...help to have her sleeping in here for a bit?” he murmured. “I'm here, too.”

(Well, that certainly explained why it seemed as if she had been avoiding him to hover around Hikage.)

Shrug.

“If you like, I can hold her,” he whispered, “and stay here.”

She drew in a long, slow breath, held it, and exhaled through her mouth. With it, a large amount of tension melted from her body like an ice cube in a cup of tea.

“Alright,” she whispered.

“I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?”

“Mhm.” A nod, a smile.

Midway through sitting up, he brushed his lips on her forehead. He darted downstairs to grab a book, then found Hikage's sling so he could use both hands to hold the book. He picked Hikage up and settled her in.

Hinata was asleep when he got back.

 


	70. Day 326

While they had talked, briefly, a few days after Hinata had come home from the hospital, this was their first chance to have a proper visit. Neji had been injured on a mission and needed the recovery time. He was well enough to walk about and hold babies, however, and gladly did so as they strode amid the Hyuga garden.

Hikage had developed an enjoyment of pulling and grabbing at any nearby loose strands of hair, and Neji's hair was the perfect grabbing length. He tolerated it with a straight face, carrying on even as his head dipped to accommodate.

"Ah. So...has Uncle met with you?" he murmured.

"Father-visited me at the hospital, yes." She barely remembered it.

"How was that?"

A shrug.

"I see. My apologies." He shifted Hikage around in his arms. "Have you been well?"

"Yes. It's certainly an adjustment, though..." She smoothed her hair down.

"That does not belong there," he said. He pulled his hair from Hikage's hands as she tried to eat it. The barest smile was present.

Hinata laughed. "I think she likes you."

 


	71. Day 330

"Mmmmableh," Hikage said, gumming away at Itachi's fingers. "Keh."

"Indeed," he replied. "I believe you are right."

Splaying out on the bed like this (with a pillow near the edge to keep her from rolling off), one arm framing her head and the other within reach for play, had become a sort of routine. Hikage had started properly burbling a few days ago, rather than cooing or crying. She also had begun to get far grabbier than before.

She made another series of bubbly, wet noises. She grabbed at his fingertips as he moved his hand to a different position.

He laughed. "You can have it back, then," he said, replacing it.

Rather than putting his fingers back into her mouth, she tried wiggling them around with her hands. His mouth slid into a softer smile as he matched her wide stare with his own look.

She held his gaze for a few seconds, made a blubbing noise, and went back to gumming at his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update because I wrote these chapters basically at the same time! Plus, they're really short.
> 
> -Val


	72. Day 340

 

It was nothing formal, really, just a meal outside the house.

Somehow, Itachi had managed to convince Sasuke (Naruto tagged along of course) to babysit Hikage for a few hours. Hinata was grateful. Neither had really dressed up beyond donning outfits of a more civilian vein. Hinata, in a belted spring green dress and knit shrug. Itachi, a gray sweater and black slacks.

Hinata reassured the thread of worry, stretched thin in the background, that if she really felt the need, she could check on Sasuke with Byakugan. Otherwise, her mind hummed with a quiet anticipation as they walked to their favorite cafe. It was mostly free of conversation, but the silence was like an old friend.

Sometimes, the backs of their hands brushed against each other. Each time, Itachi would glance at her and then immediately look at his feet. Each time, Hinata slipped closer, until their fingers began to catch and tangle. Eventually—with an embarrassed laugh—Itachi linked their hands. Something like a current hummed at that point of meeting.

Their evening was one of fleeting glances and fingertip brushing, the small thrill in cupping your hand over another's as a plate or bowl is passed along.

000

Sasuke peered down into Hikage's crib armed only with a single page of instructions. They were written in Hinata's neat, even hand, but somehow so vague as to be nearly useless.

He heard a crash from downstairs. _Naruto..._ The idiot had wanted to tag along. So he let him. And it was probably a mistake. He looked at the clock, then looked back at the litany of things to do in his hand.

_6:00 – feed and burp (formula in fridge)_

Well, he found the formula. It was in the fridge. There were four small bottles filled with it. Sasuke doubted that Hikage would be needing all four, but he couldn't fault Hinata for being prepared in that respect.

"C'mon...it can't be that hard," Naruto said. Then he laughed.

Sasuke turned around and saw that Hikage was asleep in Naruto's arms. He did not deign to respond that he had no idea if one was supposed to heat a bottle or not, though the silence was enough. Naruto continued to laugh. Sasuke continued to stare slack-jawed into the refrigerator.

He raked his vision over the surrounding kitchen twice—once with Sharingan, once without—in the hopes that Hinata or even Itachi had bothered to leave a note explaining how to operate a bottle.

There was none.

He darted past Naruto and scoured the house for parenting books like a man possessed. Itachi would have to have them stashed _somewhere_. Right?

Sasuke stared at the charred remains of a plastic baby bottle in the bottom of the bathtub. Thankfully, it wouldn't be a complete pain to clean up. Trying to heat the bottle up with a fire ninjutsu...did not work as planned. This had been a bad idea.

This had been _Naruto's_ bad idea.

_6:15 – play_

Once again, Sasuke looked for parenting books while Naruto alternated between laughing at him and lounging on the sofa with Hikage. This time, however, he ventured into what was presumably the master bedroom. It almost felt...forbidden. Like his parents' room, but worse, because at least he hadn't caught a glimpse of his parents going at it.

He avoided making eye contact with the bed as he crouched by the lone bookshelf in the room. He glanced at each spine and noted the genre. _History, history, politics, romance, politics, genjutsu, history, war strategy..._

Well, at least now Sasuke was absolutely certain that they were boring. He moved up to the next shelf: _warfare history, romance, pregnancy, romance, politics, gardening, knitting..._ Wait. He pulled the pregnancy book out and skimmed the table of contents. Nope. He shoved it back onto the shelf, not paying attention to where it had been before.

Third shelf. _Specifically Konoha history, war strategy, parenting, parenting, pregnancy, diet and nutrition, ninjutsu, taijutsu._ Jackpot. He pulled the parenting and pregnancy books out and flipped through each of them with Sharingan activated.

_6:45 – check diaper, change if needed_

Well, he finally figured it out. Eventually.

Naruto was of course laughing at him during that entire ordeal. And while Hikage fussed during the feeding attempt. And during the diaper changing attempt that was immediately blocked from memory.

_7:10 – if we are not home yet, feel free to play more or put her down for sleep if tired_

Sasuke heard the telltale thuds first, then Itachi and Hinata's voices.

They were almost here.

The bathroom was still a mess. Hikage was wriggling in the crook of his arm. All the books were still on the bedroom floor. He was royally fucked.

" _Naruto_ ," he hissed. His voice was fraught, raw, desperate. It trembled.

"I got this." Naruto winked, and then ran up the stairs.

"There's cleaning supplies in the linen closet!" Sasuke shouted.

He didn't get a response.

000

When Itachi opened the front door, he saw first Sasuke attempting to keep Hikage under control. The second thing he saw was Sasuke's panicked, wide-eyed stare. He then saw Naruto come barreling down the stairs, smelling a bit citrusy.

Naruto strode past Sasuke, slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Thanks for havin' me along!"

"N. No problem."

"Is everything alright?" Hinata asked.

"Yes. Of course." So Hinata handed Sasuke a payment, and then he sped out the door.

Everything seemed fine, when they finally settled in for bed, except the bookshelf. Itachi reached for where his usual reading was, but pulled out a romance novel he didn't even realize he owned.

He read it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK
> 
> Sorry for the delay I had finals week, graduated from college, recovered from finals week, and then I've also been job-hunting!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed
> 
> -Val


	73. Day 345

 

**Day 345**

000

Hinata woke up to the feeling of breath on her neck. There was a warm pressure at her waist, the mattress warped with the weight of someone else. She turned over to look at the clock and came face-to-face with Itachi. She recognized the ‘pressure’ as Itachi’s hand resting there.

“Sorry,” he whispered. 

“‘S fine…” She yawned. “What time is it?

She was still waking up a bit. He was very warm, and very close: unguarded. His eyes caught the bits of dim light filtering through the window.

“About five. I already checked on Hikage.” He smiled, eyes hooded. “Hm.”

She rubbed at her eyes, smiling a bit herself. “How was she?”

“Fine…” 

His arm wrapped around her waist. Rather than pull her even closer, he moved himself almost on top of her. A bird soared, then looped inside her chest.

As she was lowering her hands, one of them ended up resting on Itachi’s cheek by accident. A flash of panic. Was this okay?  Itachi blinked a few times, but his eyes returned to being partly closed. She slowly flattened her palm. A few strands of his hair were caught beneath her fingers. His hand slid up her side, along her arm, then cupped her own before moving back to her waist. This was okay.

“Isn’t this...early?” she whispered. She dropped her hand down to the mattress.

Hinata made a noise as Itachi’s other hand worked itself under her, so that she was fully embraced. This type of moment was new, precious. She almost wanted the perfect recall of Sharingan. Almost.

“When d’you work?” she mumbled, letting her eyes drift shut. “Seven, right?”

He made a ‘hm’ sound deep in his throat, and held her a bit more tightly. “Seven thirty,” she thought she heard. He had buried his face in her shoulder. She freed up one hand, then the other, then wrapped her arms around him. She drifted into a near-sleep, fuzzy at the edges. This was good.


	74. Day 347

**Day 347**

000

While Itachi did not feel brave enough to read books aloud, he did still enjoy telling Hikage about the minutiae of work: the process of gathering evidence, logging it, operating the microscopes and other technology. She understood none of it, but that was alright.

He shifted positions on the sofa when he heard the back door open, to make room for Hinata. He stopped speaking. She waved as she walked past him and up the stairs. She was carrying a pair of gardening gloves in her other hand. Her hat bobbed. He craned his neck attempting to watch her ascent.

He did so again for the descent. She'd changed clothes and put away the hat and gloves.

She sat down next to him, their legs touching. He traced the profile of her face with his eyes. He thought she was lovely, a painting of the twilit sky. It occurred to him, after a few seconds, that she was looking back. It occurred to him a few seconds after that that he could do something other than look.

Hikage made a high-pitched noise that veered in the direction of crying, with a sudden movement. Itachi glanced down, sharply. She was reaching for Hinata. Hinata laughed, and reached back, scooping her up. He chuckled when Hikage grabbed at her nose.

The warmth radiating from Hinata caused him to blurt, before he could stop himself, "You're a good mother."

"...Really?" she whispered. She seemed surprised.

His heart was pounding in his ears. He knew he was turning a shade of raw, scrubbed pink. He looked away, at the foot of the staircase.

"...Yeah," he managed.

The short silence between them was accented by Hikage's noises. He glanced back, with great effort, from under the veil of his bangs. Her eyes had a glassy, faraway look, even though she was looking at him.

"Th-thank...you," she whispered.

He pushed his bangs to the side with the heel of his hand, swallowing a lump. There was still a heat to his face that he doubted was going away for awhile.

"I-meant it," he said, faltering. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I meant it."


	75. Day 351

**Day 351**

000

The kitchen was abuzz. Hinata divided her attention between the two pots on the stovetop: a soup, and stuffed cabbage rolls. Lunch was often a simple affair for her, as she usually held Hikage while she cooked. She flipped the rolls over with chopsticks, then tasted the soup.

Itachi was a near-silent walker. He announced his presence from the doorway with the clearing of his throat, and leaned against the door frame for a moment before making his approach.

Hinata rarely turned her head to see who was behind her. There was only the momentary pause of Byakugan.

"Ah, hi," she said, a smile embedded in her voice.

He walked over, stopping just behind her, and tilted his head to see what was cooking. "Cabbage rolls?"

"Y...yes?"

"Ah...do they not make you ill now?"

She set the chopsticks down on the nearby countertop. "It was morning sickness…I-I guess I was concerned because of that?"

"I don't think there's cause for concern now." One corner of his mouth lifted.

She eyed the soup, tapping her chin with her hand, then plucked the chopsticks back up. She slid the cabbage rolls around in their pan and stirred the soup.

"How does it look?" she asked.

Lightly, like a whisper, he touched her waist with his fingertips. There was a hesitation in the movement, almost a question.

With a little plop, his chin was on her shoulder. His hands had met on her stomach. She didn't quite gasp, but the chopsticks fell out of her hand. She blushed. Her hand instinctively moved to cover her mouth.

"It looks good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait! i moved positions at work and they put me on a morning shift and uh.....i'm not a very morning oriented person
> 
> thanks for reading
> 
> -val


	76. Day 356

**Day 356**

000

It was going to be a hot day, and on the upper floor, Hinata really felt it sink in. She was looking for something light to wear out to the market. The petal-gray sheath dress, belted, seemed the best option.

A glance in the mirror made her feel she needed to start easing back into training. Not that she was really...carrying weight or anything. It just seemed to be time, even if she looked no different. She grabbed a small, slim bag and walked down the stairs, considering what to get.

Itachi was not-quite-laying on the sofa, Hikage on his chest. She was almost asleep, but pawing at the collar of his shirt and chin while he read. He glanced up. There was a question in his face.

"I'm going to the market. Did...you want to come…?" she offered.

He bit down on one side of his lip, as if he stopped himself from saying something. "I'm…a bit occupied," he said.

It still took her a moment to puzzle out when he wasn't serious. But she laughed once it clicked. "Alright."

She took one, two steps toward him. It felt like there should be more there than a simple _I'll be back in a bit!_ as her parting words, she thought. She said them anyway, with a smile and a wave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided there's gonna be one more chapter after this! 
> 
> I've been working on an appendix of sorts with my thoughts on each chapter & my original plans/scene ideas/things I missed. That will be posted as a separate thing, however!!
> 
> -Val


	77. Day 365

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well...this is the last chapter of this fic. I hope everyone has had as much enjoyment reading this as I did writing this! I procrastinated on this a few days extra just because I've been jittery about letting go of this setting and story for a bit to work on other things!
> 
> I'll eventually put up some deleted scenes, side stories, and even an appendix. I'll also probably go back and re-edit/rework at least the first third of this fic and a couple of later chapters to be more uniform in tone and format...eventually. I need a rest, a break.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on my various web-haunts, which you can find more info about in my FFN profile (also valbino)!
> 
> (one last time) Enjoy!
> 
> -Val

 

**Day 365**

000

Itachi decided to buy a card, on a whim, as he passed the shop on the way home.

So many of the cards available were too...much. Too pink. Too much gold. One of them had layers of tissue paper, each one shedding flecks of glitter. But he'd wanted to get one. It wasn't really to make a declaration or anything-

(Well, there was a not-insignificant part that wanted to make that declaration, and to hold her in his arms, and bury himself in her hair.)

-But he did think she deserved something more than just the things he'd said before.

(His chest tied itself into a knot at the image.)

He settled on the simplest card he could find. On the front, a gold-ink art of two swallows. The inside was blank, and it came with a plain white envelope held shut by ribbons. He would be able to write once he was home, hopefully.

He stared at the dappled sunlight on the path, at his feet, at the grass. No ideas beyond a signature. The card may have been a mistake, like many of his impulses. He was already halfway home, however.

On some level, he was content to let today drift by, unnoticed, in the wake of the events surrounding their wedding day. But that would be unfair. The envelope and card were dented from his grip by the time he made it to the front door.

As quietly as possible, he let himself in.

Hyuga were nearly impossible to sneak up on, but he tried anyway.

There had to be a pen somewhere in the front room. Probably in one of the end table drawers. He slipped off his shoes and made a bee-line to the closest one. The drawer got stuck at the halfway point, so he blindly felt around.

As his hand closed around a pen, there was a soft thudding behind him. Stinging numbness bloomed down his spine. He turned toward Hinata with the most neutral expression he could summon. His hand was still in the drawer.

(He hadn't heard her come down the stairs...so she had _just_ gotten Hikage to sleep.)

"...Are you um...stuck?" she finally asked. She seemed a bit amused.

"...No."

She tilted her head. Her line of sight slid from his face to the bent card.

He blanched.

"Are you alright?" she asked, frowning. She moved closer. She flipped the lightswitch on as she went, and stopped about a step away.

"I'm...fine." He retracted his hand from the drawer. He let the pen drop. It clattered.

She stood there, quietly. Her fingers knotted and unknotted themselves a few times during the silence, as she seemed to consider something. Then her expression softened, slowly.

"I-is that for me?" she murmured.

He nodded.

"You know...you know you don't have to sneak around..." She tugged at a strand of hair, glancing sideways.

Itachi swallowed a budding lump. "Yeah," he managed.

Like petals, her smile was soft. "What does the card say?"

"I was going to write something." His expression soured, just a shade. "I didn't get the chance."

"What was it going to say?" She was barely suppressing a laugh.

He nearly sputtered. "I...I didn't know what to write."

She hesitated. Her expression sobered up quickly. "...Would you mind letting me look?"

Wordlessly, he handed it over.

(His composure was crumbling, and an attempt at speaking would erode it fully.)

It wasn't even signed or properly secured, but she handled it as if it had been. She lifted the ties with her thumb and gently pulled the card from underneath. Her face was blank as she looked over the front, then opened it.

The petal-smile returned, widening as she returned her eyes to him. "Thank you."

She reached up and touched his cheek, lightly. It was barely a touch, but it set him in motion.

With one movement, he pulled her in a deep embrace, looping his arms below hers. He felt her hands descend to his shoulders, the rectangle of the card firmly in hand. A corner was poking him, but he didn't care. He nestled his brow in her shoulder, letting the powdered-floral scent of her wash over him.

When he finally exhaled, it was a breath he was unaware of holding.


End file.
